Promise Me A Lie
by RomanianDollar
Summary: As a child, Lawliet Yagami left his comfortable life with his adoptive family to become the legendary detective L. But despite that, he still had a special place for his little brother Light in his heart. Years later, when the Death Note falls to Earth, how will the brothers' previous friendship affect the Kira case? And what will Sachiko Yagami do when she's caught in the middle?
1. Lawliet Yagami

**This is my first Death Note fic. It's kind of tricky to get into the minds of super-geniuses like Light and L, but I wanted to have a go and see how I do. Please review and tell me what you think!**

 **Anyway, this is an AU fic I came up with together with my older sister during summer vacation. The concept was simple: Suppose instead of being raised at Wammy's House, L had been adopted by the Yagami family. When he becomes a detective and the killer notebook falls to Earth, how will his relationship with his brother affect the Kira case?**

 **At the time I was still in the middle of writing My Treasure, and I didn't want to take on another long project at the same time. So it was a few months ago, when I finished that story, that I began writing this.**

 **I hope you enjoy!**

 _Attention all passengers. We will be landing shortly. Please fasten your seatbelts. We hope you have had a pleasant flight._

The message was repeated in Japanese and several other languages before the loudspeaker fell silent again. Sachiko Yagami could feel the slight tilt as the plane began its descent, and she glanced over at the small child sitting quietly next to her by the window.

" _Anata no shiitoberuto o shien suru hitsuyou ga arimasu ka?_ " she asked kindly. The five-year old just stared at her blankly, and the woman realized she had switched to her native language by mistake. He only understood basic Japanese. "Do you need help with your seatbelt?" Sachiko repeated in English. "We'll have to work on your Japanese."

"No, thank you. I can do it." The child brushed his spiky black locks out of his face and clicked the two ends of his seatbelt together, then went back to gazing out the window, where the outline of Tokyo International Airport could be seen. Her husband, Soichiro, leaned over to check on the little one then settled back in his seat with a pleased smile as they watched him. Their new son. Once Wammy sent them the adoption papers, it would be official.

The plane taxied down into the runway without any incident, and even Soichiro, who was generally picky about flights, didn't complain about it. Either the landing really had been flawless, Sachiko mused, or he was busy thinking about the life ahead of them, with two sons instead of one. _I'm sure he and Light will get along wonderfully._

"Lawliet?" she asked, testing the boy's name on her tongue. It was so similar to her own son's name. "We've landed." He nodded and slipped into his thick brown coat, and taking the small trolley bag held out to him, Lawliet timidly took Sachiko's hand as the three joined the crowd entering the bustling airport.

His dark grey eyes widened as he took in everything before him – the crowds, the noise, the endless voices and announcements in a language he did not yet understand, everything seeming to grow louder and louder until it was overwhelming - and he clutched her hand a little tighter.

"Not what you expected, is it?" Mr. Yagami's - no, his father's – voice rang out in a booming laugh, and he reached over to ruffle his hair. Startled, the child pulled away, but the man didn't seem to notice."It's very different from England," he continued, "But you will like it here. Welcome to Japan, Lawliet!"

Lawliet did not answer, still looking around trying to take everything in, so good-naturedly the new parents let him be. Since both parents were members of the NPA (or ex-member, in Sachiko's case, as she had resigned after giving birth to Light), the group passed through customs faster than usual, and in an hour were out of the airport and flagging down a taxi.

The small boy sat sandwiched between the two, his knees pressed to his chest as if he was trying to melt into the car seat. He did not answer when they asked him questions – he was still trying to relax and settle his racing heart back to normal after the rush of the airport - but they assumed he was tired from the long flight and didn't bother him anymore. For a moment all he wanted was to be back in England, in a place he was familiar with, and with Mr. Wammy…but everyone had said it was for the best, that instead of growing up in an orphanage he had a chance of a good life with a well off family, and he wanted to believe this was true.

"My brother…" he finally murmured, and he looked up at Sachiko questioningly. "What is he like?"

His new mother smiled. "He's two years old – three years younger than you. He has brown hair and eyes, and he's very smart, even more so than most babies his age."

"He is not a baby, then." The child's large panda-like eyes met hers. "They're only babies until about a year and six months."

Soichiro chuckled. "Well, at this rate he'll probably bypass Light, maybe even me!" he boasted jokingly to his wife. The humor was lost on Lawliet, who didn't understand him. _I need to learn Japanese, soon._ This thought lingering in his mind, he curled up against his seat, the hum of the car and jet lag lulling him to sleep. 

* * *

"We're here!"

Groggily Lawliet rubbed his eyes as the car pulled up in front of a large house. His new parents were already outside unloading the luggage, and slowly he untangled himself from his and Sachiko's coats and stepped outside. It was a lot warmer here than in England.

Before him was a large house, not even close to the size of the orphanage but still good-sized, painted in light brown and red. It was surrounded by a black gate which opened to a paved walkway with flower-laden garden patches on either side. These were Sachiko's pride and joy – she loved gardening as a hobby – and she told him so. Making a mental note to study these later, the five-year-old followed the two up the steps and into the house.

It was comfortably quiet, and Lawliet sighed inwardly. This was much better than the airport. A young woman came in from another room, and she and his parents began speaking in rapid-fire Japanese. Sachiko motioned to him, and he figured she was introducing him. The child stepped forward, and remembering the protocols Soichiro had told him about during the flight, clasped his hands behind his back and bowed slightly with a soft " _Konnichiwa,_ ", earning him a delighted 'Awww…' from the woman. He assumed she was a babysitter of some kind.

Leaving Soichiro and Sachiko to speak with the woman, Lawliet sat down on the plush blue rug and pulled off his shoes and socks. The soft, warm texture felt good on his bare feet, and he stretched out on the rug with a content sigh. _Ah, that is more like it,_ he thought to himself.

The living room was large, containing shelves filled with toys and books, most of which the child assumed were Light's. He hoped he could find something more challenging later. In the meantime he just wanted to rest a little, and then maybe he'd go find his new brother. _I wonder if he will like me._

A soft patter caught his ears, and he turned around to see a small tot peek out from behind the door. His wide brown eyes met Lawliet's momentarily, then spotted his parents. "Mama!" he crowed excitedly, and Sachiko ran over to hug him tight. After a few minutes of simply cuddling him, she spoke to him gently and pointed to the five-year-old. Lawliet watched as the little one toddled over to him and sat down.

"You must be Light," he said in English, mostly to himself, then remembered what country he was in. " _Konnichiwa, Light,"_ the child greeted, sitting back down on the rug in front of the toddler. Lawliet imitated little Light's way of sitting, and for a little while they just stared at each other. He'd never seen a Japanese toddler before, and the straight brown hair and slightly slanted eyes fascinated him. Light cocked his head to one side, apparently scrutinizing him as well, and after a moment's study smiled cheerfully and called him _nii-san._

Nobody had ever called him that, and somehow he felt it suited him. "Lawliet," the five year old said slowly, pointing to himself. " _Lawliet desu._ "

Light giggled and pressed his tiny hand against the older child's chest. "Wowhite," he repeated, than pointed to himself. "Wight."

"White?" Lawliet wrinkled his brow slightly. "No, you're _Light_. L-I-G-H-T." He pronounced each letter carefully so the tot would understand.

"Wight!" Light laughed and stood up, grabbing Lawliet's hand. He tugged fervently and spoke a few words in Japanese, until curiously the child got to his feet and followed him.

Together the two children walked down the silent hall; the older one taking time to look around and familiarize himself with the house, although Light was impatient to get going. Soon they arrived at two doors on opposite sides. One had a brightly colored sign over it that read _Yagami Light_ , and Lawliet figured that was the toddler's room. The other door was bare, and Light pushed it open and led him inside.

The room was neatly decorated, with a large bed in the corner and plush carpeting, as well as another of the toy-filled shelves. The walls were painted in a shade of sky blue, and Lawliet found this soothing to look at. _Is this my room…?_

Light stood in the center of the room, his small hands clasped in front of him, and with a bright smile he said the English words his babysitter had taught him: "Welcome to Japan."

They'd done all of this, for _him_. And they didn't even know him for long. A smile slowly grew on his own face, and he squatted down on the carpet and ran his hands over it. It was softer than the one in the living room. His eyes widened at the touch of baby hands on his back, and he turned around as Light wrapped his small arms around him in a hug. Normally he didn't like it when people touched him without asking, it was rude and invaded his privacy and he couldn't _stand_ it – but this touch felt good, and he found himself hugging the toddler back.

" _Arigatou, Light,_ " he whispered into the little one's hair. _"Arigatou._ "

That was the moment when Lawliet realized he had made his first friend. 

* * *

**Four years later:**

"Hey! Panda!"

Lawliet's head jerked up at the sound of the boys approaching, and he sighed inwardly. _Not again._ He returned back to his book, hoping they were targeting someone else.

"I told you to bring 2000 yen next time we met! Have you forgotten so quickly? Or do you seriously have no spending money?"

The four boys were surrounding him now, but he took no notice of them. Vaguely he remembered he had to wait in the school courtyard until Light came out and they could go home together, and he intended to stay there. Besides, he needed the money for a new book he wanted. Hadn't they gotten the point when he told them?

"Are you even listening to me, Yagami?" Tachibana- _kun_ grabbed hold of his collar and yanked him off the bench he was sitting on, his book falling to the ground. Anger flashed through him but he tried to keep it down, like Sachiko had told him.

"Leave me alone and get your money from somewhere else," he stated firmly, pulling himself free from the older boy's grip.

"Hey, Lawliet!" He turned around to see Light running out of the school doors, his red backpack trailing behind him. The seven-year-old planted his hands on his hips and glared up at the big boys. "I told you to stop bothering my brother!" he yelled. "My dad's in the NPA, and he'll find you!"

"Big deal, show-off!" another of the boys snapped, stepping in front of Light. "Now get lost, unless you want a pounding too!"

That did it. They could push and threaten him all they wanted, he didn't care, but they'd stay away from his little brother or they'd wish they did. Before Lawliet could stop himself he dove down and his foot shot up, hitting Tachibana- _kun_ square in the face.

The bully tumbled down clutching his bleeding nose and stared up at the nine-year-old in shock. "How…how the hell…"

"I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE ME ALONE!" Lawliet yelled angrily, plunging his shoe into the boy's side before he could get up again.

The others were on him in an instant, but his body acted for him, kicking and punching right where he knew it would hurt, until before long all four were sprawled on the ground. For a few moments he looked over them, satisfied with his work, although he felt a twinge of guilt that he wasn't even sorry.

"Lawliet!" The younger boy tugged at his arm urgently. "Let's go, before one of the teachers sees us! Come on!" Snapping back down to earth, the nine-year-old picked up his book of the ground and tucked it into his backpack, then the two took off in a sprint until they were a good distance from the school. 

* * *

"What'd you do that for?" Light demanded as soon as he got his breath back. "Once their parents find out, we'll be in serious trouble! Do you want to get suspended again?"

"I don't mind getting suspended. School is dull, anyway." The older boy glanced down at his school uniform in disdain and kept walking. "Besides, if you allow people to push you around you will never get anywhere. Tachibana- _kun_ was the one who started it, not me. That makes my actions justified."

"Yeah, but…"

"You do not win anything by being on the defensive, Light. To win, you have to attack. Remember that." The two boys continued in silence until they reached their house, which was only a twenty-minute walk from school. As soon as they were inside Lawliet ran to his room and dumped his backpack on his desk, kicked off his shoes, then hastily changed from his uniform to a more comfortable long-sleeved shirt and loose jeans, which were his favorite choice of clothing. He could concentrate much better when he wasn't wearing that hot, itchy uniform.

Carefully he stacked up his books and picked up the top one, which he had been reading while waiting for Light. It wasn't damaged, thankfully, just a little dirty.

"Is that your new book?" The nine-year-old turned around as his little brother walked in. He had also changed out of his uniform. "Can I see?"

"Sure." Lawliet held out the book, and Light's eyes lit up as he flipped through the pages.

"You read _Sherlock Holmes_?" he asked. "Did Dad give it to you?"

The older boy nodded and took the book back. "Holmes- _san_ is my hero," he admitted shyly. "That is why I want to join the NPA when I am old enough. Perhaps I can solve cases as well."

"Then he's my hero too." Light flopped down on one of the several beanbag chairs strewn around the room. "Can you read it to me?"

"Fine," Lawliet replied, and dragged over another of the large seats. The younger boy edged closer as he opened the book and started to read, and soon both were lost in a world of detectives, crime and mystery. Before they knew it an hour had gone by, and Light remembered he had to start his homework.

"If I don't finish it all Orihara- _sensei_ will nag me," he explained briefly. "Don't forget to do yours – I can't always remind you, you know."

Before the older boy could reply, a door further away slammed shut, and he tensed up at the sound of footsteps coming to his room.

"Lawliet! Light!" The door swung open again, and the boys were faced by their stern-eyed mother. "I've been receiving several unpleasant phone calls. Lawliet, did you beat up the boys at school again?"

The nine-year old glanced at his brother, who shrugged slightly. "I stayed out of it this time," Light offered hopefully.

Sachiko sighed. "Light, you can go do your homework. Don't let me catch you outside until it's all done." Once Light was gone, she shut the door and gazed down disapprovingly at Lawliet.

"This isn't the first time you've done this," she stated. "Those parents want compensation. At least with your father's influence we can keep the police from stepping in, but… _do you want to be expelled_?"

Lawliet lowered his eyes to the floor. Part of him didn't feel sorry at all, and he still believed the bullies had deserved it. But the other part felt shame; that he, the eldest son of Soichiro Yagami, behaved so poorly and disappointed his mother.

"They were the ones who started it, not me!" he shot out defensively. "They were bullies, and they deserved to be punished!"

"I don't care whose fault it was! You shouldn't have fought them!"

"That is the only way to make them leave me alone! They're always picking on me, in every grade, because I am different!" He could feel anger and frustration rushing through him again. "I tried your way, Mom. I tried talking to them, bribing them, even hiding, but in the end the only language they understand is force! And if I get expelled that is fine with me; at least then I can study what I am interested in because the lessons there are child's play!" The nine-year-old slumped onto one of the beanbag chairs and brought his knees up to his chest.

His mother gazed down at her boy, thinking about what he'd said. _Why did he wait until now to tell me this?_ Slowly she sat down next to him and wrapped her arms around his thin form, and with a muffled sigh he curled up into her chest.

"Hey…" she said softly, spotting the book still resting on the seat next to her. It gave her an idea. "When Holmes- _san_ gets those difficult cases, does he ever use force to get what he wants?"

"No," Lawliet replied, lifting his head. "He uses his intelligence to find clues and force only when he absolutely needs it." He paused for a second. "Do you want me to be like Holmes- _san_?"

"Not exactly, no. But you could take a few ideas from him, don't you think?" Sachiko reached down to tickle his chin, and he cracked a smile. "You're right: there are a lot of people in this world who understand nothing but force, and they bully those that are weaker than them. But that's why people rise up from those weak ones, they find ways to become strong, and they pledge to help others that can't defend themselves. People like Holmes- _san_. And like you."

"Me?"

"Of course. You have a good heart, Lawliet. I've always admired that in you." Gently she took his pale hands and held them in hers. "You have in your hands the power to save lives…we all do. You just need to learn how to use it to its greatest capability. And whatever you decide you want to do…I'll support you." Sachiko smiled lovingly and pulled him into another hug. "I love you, sweet boy."

A warm feeling blossomed in Lawliet's heart as her words sank into him, and he hugged her tightly. "I love you too, Mom."

The two sat together hugging each other for a long time, and as his mother finally got up and he returned to his homework, he decided what would be his life's course.


	2. Decision

**Thanks for all the favorites and follows! Please continue to favorite and review! And if you like anime fics, please check out some of my other stories too - and tell me what you think!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Death Note. If I did, L and Mello would still be alive.**

When Lawliet told Sachiko he wanted to be a detective when he grew up, she promised to support him to the end; it was what any mother would do. But she fully expected him to forget about it after a while, or take a mild interest in it now and study more in depth when he was older.

She hadn't anticipated him starting the next day.

From then on, as soon as he got home from school he'd rush through his homework and delve into books on deduction he'd bought as well as old cases he gleaned from Soichiro. Whenever he could he'd also coax permission from his father to use his computer, and on the Internet found even more cases and information. Lawliet had a sharp memory, and soaked up everything he read like a sponge.

Young Light followed in his older brother's footsteps, and after that there were times Sachiko wondered what she had done to have two sons who hardly ever played video games or watched anime like normal children their age. Instead they spent nearly every afternoon either in Lawliet's room or at the computer in Soichiro's study researching world crime rates and the successes of famous detectives.

Eventually, after numerous night-time discussions, the two parents decided it would be best to take Lawliet out of elementary school and educate him at home from then on. He'd never really fit in there, and while he took the top grades in class, they knew he was capable of so much more. The nine-year-old – to their astonishment - was already handling college level mathematics and sciences with confidence.

After this, to his great satisfaction, Lawliet was able to spend even more time studying the things he would need in order to be a detective. Light, on the other hand, now that he no longer had to keep his older brother out of trouble, grew a desire to socialize more and at least _try_ to act like a normal child. He still kept his interest in the art of deduction (and used it more than once to his own advantage), but he began reserving several afternoons a week to hanging out with his friends or bringing them over. Yet no matter what, the evenings always belonged to him and Lawliet.

Often at night after Light had gone to bed the older boy would excitedly show Sachiko the things he'd learned that day; whether it was carbon dating or analyzing DNA or how to tell if someone was lying or not. It thrilled her to see how fascinated he was by whatever subject he'd explain to her, especially since he'd never shown such an interest in something before. He could talk for hours, and to Sachiko it seemed lately that was all he talked about.

Often he would ask her for first-hand accounts of how these things were done, since she used to be a detective herself in the NPA years ago. These she was more than happy to give him - although often she would spare him any grisly details.

"Mom," Lawliet told her seriously one evening when they were talking, "Why are you taking out parts of the story?"

Sachiko cleared her throat and diverted her attention to the case files strewn all over his desk. "Why do you ask? And how did you know?"

"Some parts do not always click." The boy picked up the file they had been discussing. "You said that in this case the _yakuza_ in question was charged with kidnapping and assault. But what kind of assault was it? How would I be able to solve the case if I did not have all the details of the crime?"

"It doesn't matter now. That case was solved over five years ago." She sighed as she flipped through the file. "The work of a detective isn't always pretty – it can get dirty at times, more often than not actually. I know, because I helped solve a good many cases like this back in the day."

"Why did you stop?"

"Well, for one thing, I got pregnant with Light. I wanted him to always have one parent at home to take care of him. Originally I planned to re-join the NPA once he was old enough, but in the end I changed my mind."

The dark panda eyes met hers with interest. "Do you ever miss it?"

Sachiko hesitated. There were times, especially at the beginning, when during the comparatively mundane routine of caring for her newborn she'd felt a longing for the work she was used to. But still, those years had had a fair share of the stress and weight that came with being a detective and holding lives in your hand. The more cases one received, the bigger a target they became for criminals or rival detectives. It had taken her over two years after retiring to get out of the habit of sleeping with a gun under her pillow. But with determination and a lot of love and support from Soichiro, she'd pushed away that old life and never looked back.

"I used to," she admitted. "I thought that if I wasn't in the NPA, I was no longer making a difference in the world. Saving lives. But then I realized…I was still changing the world. By raising you and Light."

He raised an eyebrow, puzzled, and she continued, "That's why I'm teaching you, and pouring everything I know into the two of you. You've got big dreams, and with hard work they could become reality. In this way, I'm still making a difference…through you."

"I suppose that makes sense," he replied with a slight smile. "But what about the details of the case?"

 _He never forgets, does he?_ "While you may be training to be a detective, remember you're still a child. Some of these cases had messes even a full-fledged police officer would feel sick seeing. You don't need that, not now."

"But I can take it!" Lawliet insisted. "It's vital information to the case! Besides, blood does not bother me."

Before Sachiko could shoot back a reply, the door burst open and Light dashed in.

"Mom! Lawliet! Dad's bringing home an NPA member!" he announced excitedly. "They're working on a case together, and he has a son who's coming – he wants to be a detective too, like us! They're coming in an hour!"

"Maybe we can exchange what we know and get new ideas from each other!" Lawliet was already running a dozen ideas of what to do with a third party. "Oh, and can we help with the case?"

"No, son," he could hear Soichiro yell from the other end of the house.

The boy rolled his eyes exasperatedly. His dad never let him try out the good cases. "Oh, come on, Dad! I can keep it confidential!" There was no answer, and with a resigned shake of his head he went to stack up the files on his desk.

"This is gonna be great, _nii-san_!" Light bounced up on a beanbag chair and kicked his legs. "I wonder what he's like?"

"We'll have to wait and see. In any case, I intend to contribute to the case, even a little. I can listen in on the adults' discussion."

"But how'll you do that if we're with Matsuda- _kun_?" Noticing his brother's questioning glance he added, "That's the new guy, by the way. Forgot to mention that."

Lawliet shrugged nonchalantly. "I can attend to Matsuda- _kun_ and listen at the same time. It's called multitasking."

Light nodded in understanding and they began discussing other things, like the old cases they'd been working on together. They were simple ones, that was true – robberies mostly and sometimes a kidnapping or mugging – but they were still real cases. To Light they were challenges, to Lawliet they were more of a game, a thrill that he couldn't find in video games or anime.

All too soon they heard the doorbell ring, and their mother heading to greet the guests. "I guess we should go too," Light said, brushing off Lawliet's shirt. "You should have changed your clothes. Let's go." The two brothers ran to the living room, where Soichiro and Sachiko were exchanging pleasantries with the guests.

"Boys, this is Matsuda Touta," Soichiro introduced. "And these are my sons, Lawliet and Light."

Matsuda gave them a friendly smile and bowed slightly. He looked older than the two of them, about twelve or thirteen years old. "It's great to meet you," he said eagerly. "Yagami- _san_ said you both want to be detectives."

"That's right!" Light beamed and motioned for Matsuda to follow him. "Dad gives us old cases from the NPA database and we get to solve them over again."

"No way! That's amazing! And you've actually solved them?"

"Sometimes we get help from Mom, but yeah, we've done quite a few on our own. Lawliet's better at them than me. All the stuff's in his room, so let's head there."

"No." Lawliet grabbed the doorknob firmly and held it in place. "My room's private. Let's use your room."

"Come on, bro," the seven-year-old protested. "If we use your room we don't have to move all the books and stuff."

"Your room," he replied sternly, and after a few moments Light relented with a shrug. It only took them a few minutes to move their things to Light's room.

"So, how old are you guys?" Matsuda asked, by now genuinely intrigued.

"I'm seven," the smallest boy piped up, "And Lawliet's nine, but he'll be ten in two months."

The preteen's jaw dropped. "You," he sputtered, pointing at Lawliet, "You're nine and you're already solving cases? You must be a genius!"

"I am?"

"Of course! Even I can't do things like this!" At this Matsuda bowed deeply. "Teach me your ways, _senpai_!"

Lawliet smirked slightly and picked up the case files. "I suppose, if you wish, I could show you a few things, Matsuda- _kun_."

"Oh, please, just call me Touta."

"Very well, Touta- _kun_. What have you learned until now about deduction?"

"Eh, honestly, not much," Touta admitted. "I mean, I've read some books and stuff, but that about all I have to go on. I never thought of asking Dad for cases."

"That is a good start. Now you must build on what you know and practice it." The nine-year-old meticulously selected several case files from the stack and handed them to the eldest. "These are simple – I am certain you can solve these."

Leaving Touta to study the cases and Light to help him, Lawliet stepped outside the room and listened to the adults talking, bits of their discussion catching his ear as he leaned against the wall. It sounded like a series of murders, and a glint of excitement flashed through his eyes. Now _this_ was a real challenge.

 _None of the crime scenes hold any evidence; it's all been erased before we got there…_

 _They started on the 25_ _th_ _last month and repeated every nine days after that…_

 _All the targets have been members of the NPA…_

A slow smile began to spread over his pale features. The boy raced to his bedroom and snatched up a notebook, then returned to sit behind the door to the living room. His pen flew over the pages, scribbling down the information he'd picked up and anything else he was hearing. Digits and percentages flew through his head as he matched dates and made connections, his mind filling in for him the details he hadn't heard. He dropped the notebook and burst into his father's office, opened up an Internet tab and started typing. _This is my chance to prove myself. I can do this._

Entering through Soichiro's account into the NPA's member-only website, his mind kept going a mile a minute, and as the seconds ticked by he realized this was actually _easy_ ; he's just never realized it until now. The percentages kept rising in his head, and as it all clicked together he felt a rushing thrill he'd never felt before.

That was when he realized he was not a normal child. Never would be.

But it would never bother him again.

Lawliet printed out several pages and ran back to where he'd left his notebook, only to find the door already open. And Soichiro was reading what he'd written.

"Son," he said slowly, "Did you do this?"

The nine-year-old reached up and took his book back, opened it up and quickly added new parts to it. "Yes, I did. And I believe I know how to solve this case."

"Then by all means let's hear it," Matsuda- _san_ replied good-naturedly. The two men returned to their place on the sofa, and the boy sat down between them as he spread the notebook out over the tea table.

"What Dad and Matsuda- _san_ have got wrong is that they analyze each part of the case separately, when they should be studying it all at once. That way you can see the patterns easier and make the connections."

"But that's how we always do it," Soichiro interjected. "Nobody can assimilate all the facts at once."

"Strange," Lawliet mused, furrowing his brow slightly. "I do not find it difficult at all. Anyway, as I was saying, if you look at the locations of the murders, you will see they alternate between two cities: Osaka and Tokyo. The first one was in Tokyo, the second in Osaka, and the third once again in Tokyo. Going by this, the next murder should be in Osaka. And since they were each nine days apart, it will be in two days."

"We deduced this much already," Touta's father said. "But the city is enormous – even if we did manage to scour the entire city in only two days the chances of finding the next target are minimal."

"Precisely – which is why you must narrow down the locations and times even more." The boy turned a page and began jotting notes. "Starting with locations. If you examine the areas in which the murders took place, you will notice all of them begin with the syllable _shi_. _Shinagawa_ , then _Shinsekai_ , and _Shinjuku_. If this pattern continues, it narrows the next location to either _Shinsaibashi_ \- which judging by the other areas is unlikely given it is a shopping district – or _Shitennou-ji_ , both in Osaka. I would recommend keeping an eye on both areas to make sure. The next thing is that the blocks involved are all square numbers with one added, going backwards; seventeen, ten, five. If my theory is correct, the next 'danger' block is two, in either area I mentioned. It is a good thing the series has not been going for long, otherwise the persons responsible might have changed the pattern later and made this more difficult."

By this time both Touta and Light had overheard the discussion and were listening wide-eyed in the doorway. "The times at which they happened were all multiples of three with one added, as well; four AM, seven PM, ten PM. There is very obviously a pattern here, with one murder in the early morning, the next two in the evening, and the fourth also in the morning, at one AM. And to fool anyone who went solely by the number pattern, each of the minute times was different, and chosen at random." Lawliet stopped writing and ran a hand through his messy dark hair. "Do you have any pictures or footage of the crime scenes?"

The two men, who were both listening intently by this time, glanced at each other hesitantly for a moment before Matsuda- _san_ nodded curtly, and Soichiro brought out a case file. He took out several photographs and handed them to his son. The scene wasn't pretty, but Lawliet was unperturbed by this as he studied them closely.

"And with this, it all comes to a conclusion," he announced triumphantly. "In each of these photographs it has been partially erased, either with a footprint or something else, but at all of the crime scenes, etched either in dirt or blood, do you see this symbol?"

Matsuda- _san_ took a photograph and squinted at the image. "It looks like a _kanji_ symbol."

"Exactly!" The boy snatched up his pen again and sketched the _kanji_ out on his notebook, filling in the smudged parts. "The _kanji_ for vengeance! The only group that has that _kanji_ as their symbol is _Kurano-okai_ , a _yakuza_ group from Kyoto! So there you have the next location, time, and the group responsible. If you do as I have suggested, I am certain you will be able to end the case."

He cracked a grin as the adult's jaws nearly dropped, making them look ridiculous. It was like they couldn't believe he had solved what they couldn't. _But it wasn't even that hard…_

"I knew it!" Touta yelled from behind him. "This guy's a genius!" 

* * *

After that, both parents willingly allowed Lawliet to study whatever cases he wanted. Soichiro even began taking Lawliet with him to the NPA headquarters and gave him access to their databases, and occasionally to confidential information from Interpol. As the Japanese police's representative in the I.C.P.O., Soichiro had access to intel that wasn't available to regular police members.

Light and Touta became fast friends despite their age difference, and often the older boy would come to hang out and work on cases together with the six-year-old. Lawliet sometimes joined them, but what they did was now too easy for him and he preferred to have a challenge to unscramble.

Despite her early trepidation, Sachiko was proud of Lawliet's progress. Before he'd gotten interested in detective work, after doing his homework he'd spend hours just doing nothing, or building intricate towers with dominoes. Now he rarely did that anymore. When he wasn't solving a case, he was studying sciences, mathematics and foreign languages.

It was several weeks after his tenth birthday that she began hearing news about Soichiro's old friend, Mr. Wammy. He was the one who had introduced them to Lawliet all those years ago, and now he had orphanages all over the world.

"He has one which is his most important facility, in England," her husband explained. "It's called 'Wammy's House', and is especially for gifted children. Children like Lawliet. There they are given special training and as adults will take up important places in the world, all working to make it a better one. It's amazing, the work that man is doing."

"Are you suggesting we send Lawliet there?" Sachiko asked skeptically. "He's not an orphan anymore."

"Not like that, no. I mean, perhaps there you could study what they do, and get ideas of how to work with him. Bring the training they offer back here to Japan. What do you think?"

The woman hesitated. Lawliet had been away from England for so long; over five years now. Taking him back might trigger a reaction that would undo all his progress, and that was the last thing they both needed. But still, it would be good to see Wammy again, and perhaps she could get some advice on how to help the boy.

Finally she nodded. "I suppose, maybe. But can we afford it?"

Soichiro beamed. "That's the best part – I wrote to Wammy a while ago about Lawliet and the direction he's going, and he's thrilled with his progress. He's eager to see the both of you, and offered to pay for your trip there if you decide to go."

That did make the journey sound more inviting. A few days passed without further incident, and Sachiko took the time to think about the idea. In the end, she decided it was worth a try, and the two wrote back to Wammy confirming the trip.

"Lawliet?" she called as she opened her son's bedroom door. He was sitting on the floor surrounded by stacks of books, copying down Russian verbs.

"Yes?" he replied. The ten-year-old placed his book down and got to his feet, as if sensing his mother had something important to tell him.

"We're going to go on a trip together…to England."


	3. Wammy's House

**Hey y'all!**

 **Thanks for reviewing and following this story! Please continue to favorite and review - your feedback is much appreciated!**

 **Guest: Yes, I know L is much older than Light in the series. But I wanted them to be closer in age in this AU, which was why I gave L Light's manga birth year, 1986, and left Light his anime birth year, 1989.**

 **Okay, now this is the first chapter where I'm introducing Beyond Birthday. He is, in my opinion, an extremely complex character, and I had lots of fun manipulating him in this AU. Here, instead of being L's successor, I had the idea to switch this around and make him his predecessor. Well, enough spoilers now - I'll let my story speak for itself. Enjoy!**

The plane trip reminded Sachiko a lot of their first one together. Back then he had only been five years old, timid and scared of the sudden move. Now he sat next to her, a lot more relaxed than he had been then but just as silent, content to gaze out the window at the clouds below them. A thin briefcase filled with books to read on the trip lay at his feet, untouched.

"Hey…" She reached over to rub the uncontrollable dark spikes she'd grown to love so dearly. "Are you nervous?"

He shook his head. "No, I'm fine. I just like studying the cloud formations. They are always changing. Kind of like life, do you think?"

"That's true." Lawliet always chose the strangest times to wax philosophical. She wondered how he would react to being back at Wammy's, and meeting other children like him. The thought of him and ten other children spouting off answers to the meaning of life made her smile, and she went back to reading the in-flight magazine for the fifth time in a row.

Before long their plane taxied down into the runway, and Sachiko took the boy's hand as together they entered the London airport. She felt him squeeze her hand a little tighter, and she remembered he hated crowded areas.

"I'm sure the person Wammy sent will be here any minute," she said reassuringly while trying to think of something to get his mind off the crowd. "Do you still remember your English? It's been five years, after all."

A slight grin grew on his face at what he deemed a ridiculous question. "Like you have to ask," he replied, switching languages easily. "I will wait here if you want to collect our luggage."

"Are you sure you'll be fine by yourself?" His mother asked, making the switch as well.

He shrugged. "Somebody has to wait here, in case Wammy's man shows up. And the place around the conveyor belt is more crowded than here, so…"

She took the hint. "Alright, but don't leave this spot, promise? I don't want to have to scour the whole airport looking for you." Once she'd gotten his consent Sachiko walked briskly to the baggage claim. It was more crowded than she expected, and it took her nearly half an hour to find their bags. Hoping Lawliet was still where she left him, she made her way back with the bags in tow, weaving through the crowds with skill she thought she'd forgotten.

Soon Sachiko spotted her son. He was speaking confidently to a tall man that hadn't been there before.

"Mom, this is Mr. Roger," Lawliet introduced with a smile. "He works for Mr. Wammy. Did you get all our bags?"

"Yes, I did," his mother replied, offering her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, Mrs. Yagami." Roger took Lawliet's bag and beckoned for them to follow him. "I'm glad you had a safe flight. Wammy's anxious to meet you."

The three got through customs with no incident, and were soon in a car driving to the House. Sachiko made small talk with Roger while she watched her son, who sat quietly next to her drawing patterns with his finger on the misty window. One of the things he'd strove especially hard to master in the past few months was how to mask his real emotions when outside or with other people, and leave on his face false emotions or none at all. He claimed it would make him harder to read by anybody who worked with him in the future, and was actually uncannily talented at this; to the point that Sachiko was the only one who could tell whether the emotions he showed were real or not. Even then it was only because she'd spent so much time with him before.

At the airport he'd displayed that trait once again: acting confident when he was actually nervous and agitated by the crowds. Roger had been fooled, but not her. Slowly she reached over and wrapped one arm around the boy's shoulders, and with a faint, genuine smile he leaned into the embrace.

"I wonder what's changed since I was gone," he said softly. It seemed he didn't fully trust Roger yet, because he switched languages yet again, back to Japanese.

Sachiko lightly scratched the spot between his shoulders, which he always liked her to rub because he could never reach it himself. "Probably a lot," she replied. Whenever he switched languages she always did the same. "I guess we'll see when we get there."

In truth, Lawliet could clearly remember some things about his time at the House, while others were more foggy. He remembered Wammy, and that he greatly cared for him, but then all of a sudden had been anxious to get rid of him. He'd never understood why. There had been other children his age, as well. And then there was someone else, who he sometimes saw in his dreams: a tall man dressed in black who built towers with him and told him he would be a great person someday. Yet no matter how much he racked his brain, he could never remember who the man was, or even what he looked like.

After pondering on this for a while longer, Lawliet was content to gaze at the passing buildings until nearly an hour had passed, and the car pulled up into a driveway in front of a huge mansion.

His breath hitched slightly as the boy opened the car door and stepped out. He remembered this place. It was all coming back to him now. _The trees…the wisteria tree behind the house…the Labrador in the back yard…_

Lawliet broke into a sprint and ran down the path that was reappearing in his mind faster with every step. His mother was calling him, but he couldn't hear her. The path opened up to reveal the playground in the back yard, and he ran faster. _It's all exactly as I remember it. Everything's still here._

"Sally!" he called breathlessly, finally reaching the dog kennel, and an old yellow Labrador lazily poked its head out. Recognition flashed in its eyes and it bowled him over, barking and licking him joyfully. "I knew you wouldn't forget me!"

"Hey!" Lawliet's head snapped up to see a blond boy standing behind him. "Who're you?"

The ten-year-old stood and brushed his jeans off. "Mr. Wammy sent for me. I'm - "

"You don't have to tell me your name." The child's narrow green eyes glared up at him, making him seem older than his eight years. "Here we all use aliases. We only tell another person our real names if we can trust them with our lives. You can call me Arthur. What's your alias?"

 _I need an alias?_ Lawliet wrinkled his brow for a moment as he racked his brain in search of a good alias. "Ryuuga. I'm Ryuuga."

"Right. Nice to meet you, Ryuuga. Watari said you would be coming. Let's go in; your woman's looking for you." Arthur brushed his sandy blond bangs out of his face and began walking towards the house.

"That 'woman' is my mother," Lawliet scolded. "Watch your tongue. And who is Watari?"

The boy rolled his eyes and kept walking. "Well, we can't _all_ have mothers, can we? And you literally just gave away your last name. Watari is what we call Mr. Wammy around here; it's a codename of sorts."

"I see." Soon they reached the steps leading up to the front door, and Arthur led him to the sitting room where his mother and Mr. Wammy were waiting. Lawliet halted in his tracks, old memories rushing into his head a mile a minute. The old man was exactly as he remembered him.

"Hello, Lawliet." Wammy smiled kindly and held out his hand. "It's been a long time."

Slowly the boy stepped forward and grasped the offered hand, remembering in time not to bow like in Japan. "It is good to see you again, Mr. Wammy," he replied.

"Just call me 'Watari' like the other children here." The old man motioned for him to sit, and Lawliet did so. "My, my, how you have grown. And how you have progressed, too. Your mother told me about your wish to be a detective, and how much you've learned. Beyond would be proud…very proud."

"Who is Beyond?"

"You don't remember him?"

Lawliet shook his head. "I don't think so. But I remember there was another adult here besides you, when I was here. He wore black all the time. Was that Beyond?"

Watari smiled again. "Yes, that was Beyond. He was like a son to me, and he was the one who found you and entrusted you into my care. You used to call him 'B'. " Seeing the boy's puzzled glance he added, "There is a lot we must discuss, but perhaps you are tired from your flight. Come, I will show you to your room."

The two were led up the winding staircase to the second floor, and the old man opened another door, revealing a luxurious guestroom. "Feel free to rest, or do whatever you wish. You have full access to everything in the House, just like in the old days." He ruffled up the ten-year-old's hair with a kindly chuckle and closed the door behind him.

"Woah…" Sachiko set down their bags and stretched out on one of the chairs. "This is amazing. I'll have to get a better look around, don't you think?"

"I suppose. Anyway, we should get some rest now. Who knows what tomorrow will bring," Lawliet replied nonchalantly. On a small table he noticed a large glass bowl of strawberries, and he picked one up. For a moment he studied the crimson fruit that teased at his memory, then he popped it in his mouth, smiling at the explosion of tart, sweet flavor.

 _"B, why do we eat strawberries so much?" he asked as he crammed fistfuls of the sweet fruit in his mouth._

 _The man swallowed his own mouthful and smiled as he went back to typing on the computer in front of him. "Well, they're sweet, for one thing. Watari's always after me to eat healthy. Besides, what's the first thing you think of when_ you _see red?" he questioned in turn._

 _He paused to think about it. "I guess danger, or something important. But also strawberries."_

 _"Exactly!" The man brushed his black bangs out of his face. "See, that's why I eat them so much when I work on a case. Keeps me focused." He picked up another berry and added, "But they're so much better in jam. I love strawberry jam, don't you?"_

 _It was just like him to randomly change the subject like that, and the child couldn't help but giggle._

"Lawliet?" His eyes snapped open. Sachiko was standing next to him, a concerned expression on her features. "Is something the matter?"

The boy grabbed a few more strawberries and sat down on one of the beds. "N-no, it's alright…I just remembered something." He kicked off his sneakers and burrowed under the sheets while his mother got settled for the night.

Lawliet placed the strawberries on his bedside table and spent a long time looking at them. It had been a long day, with the flight and all, and his eyes began to droop shut. Before he dropped off to sleep completely, his eyes caught the red fruit next to him.

And for an instant, he could have sworn he saw them glow. 

* * *

_Snow was falling lightly over the streets. The rich smell of baked goods filled the air, despite the doors of the cake shop being closed. He pressed his small face against the glass window and gazed longingly at the treats inside, his mouth watering hungrily. He hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, and even that had been just a donut._

 _"Hey, kid." There were footsteps behind him, and he turned to see a tall man by his side. He was wearing a hooded black jacket and jeans, and he couldn't see his face. He eyed the stranger warily for a few moments, then returned his attention to the rich strawberry cheesecakes on display._

 _"Those do look pretty good, don't they?" The stranger broke the silence again. "Why don't you get one?"_

 _He looked down and shrugged slightly. "I don't have any money," he replied._

 _"Where are your parents?"_

 _This man did like to pry, didn't he?_

 _"They left back to France this morning." The memory was still all too fresh in his mind, and he didn't like to think about the fact he was now alone. "They said they did not want me anymore, because I'm too smart for my own good. They said I'm not normal."_

 _The stranger let out a harsh laugh. "You, not normal? That can't be right."_

 _"But it's true!" He insisted, tears beginning to well up in his eyes. "That is what they told me!"_

 _For a second he thought he saw anger flash in the man's face, then it was gone and he was squatting down to his level. "Hey, hey, don't start crying on me, dammit…look, kid, those bastards didn't know what they were talking about." The man took off his hood, and his narrow grey eyes smiled at him. "You're as normal as they come. In fact, I bet you're ten times better than everyone else they think are 'normal'. You want some cake, right?"_

 _Cautiously he brushed his mittened hand over his eyes and nodded. The stranger ruffled up his hair and entered the shop, returning a few minutes later with a white card box. He beckoned for the child to follow him; and together they sat down on a nearby park bench, where he opened the box, took out one of the strawberry cakes for himself and passed the rest of the box to the child, who wasted no time wolfing down its contents._

 _"Thank you," he finally remembered to say once he'd finished._

 _The man leaned back on the bench and smiled faintly. "Don't mention it," he replied. "A little kid like you shouldn't be out on the streets alone."_

 _He glared up at him indignantly. "I'm not little! I'm three years old!"_

 _"Oh,_ excuse me _," the dark-haired man apologized. "But I mean it. Do you have any place to go spend the night?" The child shook his head, and he continued, "If you want, you could come stay at my place. It's great, and there are other kids there for you to play with."_

 _For a minute he hesitated, then he nodded. "Okay…I will go with you, Mr…?"_

 _It was the man's turn to hesitate. "B…" he said after chewing his fingernail thoughtfully for a while. "You can call me B."_

 _"Okay, B." He hopped off the bench to follow B, who had already started leaving. "But B…what are bastards?"_

* * *

Lawliet's eyes shot open. For a moment he blinked hard, wondering why his room was so dark and _what had his mother done with his night lamp,_ then he remembered.

The strawberries were still on the table. Sachiko was sleeping soundly, and the boy made an attempt to follow suit. But he was wide awake now. There was no going back to sleep, at least for a while.

Careful not to wake her, Lawliet climbed out of bed and stepped out of the room. His bare feet made no sound as he padded down the halls, following a path that rose from his memory with every step. The House was dimly lit, with soft lights placed here and there, not counting the brighter lights shining from under the doors of various night owls still busy at work. But he wouldn't bother them now. He didn't feel like it.

He kept walking, and finally reached a worn patch of carpet, in front of a huge oak door. Almost reverently the boy reached out to touch the wood. He knew this place; he was convinced of that now.

 _"I'll be back soon, kid, I promise. People need me. It's my job."_

Lawliet tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. Feverishly he rummaged in his jeans pocket until he found a pin he'd been keeping just for a situation like this, stuck it in the keyhole, and got to work.

 _"People think reapers are just a dumb Halloween joke, but they're wrong. Now_ real _reapers, they're real monsters. They know exactly how long a person will live, and when your time runs out they come for you. You can run, you can hide, but they will always find you. And the last thing you see is a pair of red eyes coming at you…that's the reaper. The_ Shinigami _."_

A shiver ran down his spine. It wasn't working yet, but he kept it up. He'd gone too far to turn back now. The boy kept twisting the thin metal in the lock, searching for the right spot that would open it up.

 _"Nobody's ever won anything by being on the defensive. To win, you've got to fight back. You've got to attack. That's the only way you'll get on top."_

Finally he was rewarded with a sharp click, and the heavy door creaked open.

Lawliet stepped inside and looked around in awe. The lights flickered on, casting a dim glow over the room. It was shaped like a hexagon and was about three times the size of his room back home, but that wasn't what caught his attention. There were computers and ceiling-high stacks of files and portfolios. A wealth of intel, one that would take him days to sort through.

Some of the piles that littered the room were covered in cobwebs, and these he carefully brushed off. The carpeted floor was rough and held a thin layer of dust just like the computers. On the walls were various framed awards from the FBI, KGB, ICPO, and many more; proof of the extensive work Beyond had done years ago. The boy studied each one of them. _Incredible. Beyond certainly was a genius._

 _Like you,_ the other part of his mind interjected, but he pushed that thought aside.

At the tip of the hexagon, right at the very back of the room, was a huge desk that held yet another stack of files. This was much smaller, and were held together with a combination lock. For a moment he hesitated, then curiosity got the better of him and he reached towards the lock.

"I thought I would find you here," Watari said gently, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Lawliet felt his heart jump up and he spun around. "Watari…" he replied, his mind racing to think of a good excuse for being here. "I saw how dusty this room was, and I thought I'd clean it up a little."

"I'll agree with you on that." The old man looked around the room with a sigh. "I come in here to clean it once a year, but the dust grows back just as fast. I cannot bear to let it fall to disrepair."

The ten-year-old gazed around the room, memorizing every detail. "This was B's room…was it not?"

Watari smiled faintly. "Yes, it was. This was where he always worked on his cases. The only other two people allowed to enter it were me, and you."

 _Me?_ He swallowed hard and looked up at the old man. "I remember…I remember everything now, Watari. Beyond, his work, how I came here…and the Eyes, too. I could not remember them before, but I can now."

Concern flashed across Watari's face. "You remember the Eyes?"

There was a silence that filled the room. "The Eyes of the Shinigami. Yes…I remember them. Watari…" At this Lawliet grabbed hold of Watari's hand earnestly, "I want you to tell me everything."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

"It is a long story, Lawliet. What about your sleep?"

"I don't need sleep. I need answers. Please, Watari…tell me."

The old man gave him another smile, but this one felt more real, somehow, as he guided the boy out of the room into a warm sitting room and went to make some hot chocolate.

"For you, Lawliet, I'll start at the beginning…"


	4. L

**Hey everyone! Thanks for all your support so far - please continue to favorite and review! Reviews are much appreciated! ;)**

* * *

It might have only been ten minutes since they left Beyond's room, but to Lawliet it felt like hours before Watari returned with his mug of hot chocolate and a plate of shortbread. He placed the two in front of the boy and sat down heavily in the armchair across from him.

"Where shall I begin?" the old man said. "I suppose…we should start with Beyond. He was a strange one, that boy; but still, he was my son, and I did my best."

"He was your son?"

"Well, not in the biological sense. You see, decades ago, I was a detective as well. I solved my share of mysteries and crime back in the day, but as time went on I grew the desire to find someone to carry on my work in the future. I hoped to find someone young, and talented, whom I could train and teach my art, and I did. There was an uproar in the news about a planned bombing in England, which would have triggered World War III if it had taken place. It had all been prevented by a child; he contacted the police and figured out almost single-handedly what the country's greatest specialists couldn't.

"He was an orphan, I found later, and barely eight years old. So I met him and gave him the offer of a home, a father, and specialized training in what he loved to do most: crime solving. He accepted, and he took on the alias _Beyond Birthday,_ or simply _Beyond._

"Well, even I underestimated how incredibly talented that boy was. He learned in a mere matter of months what took me years to master. Once he knew everything that I could teach him, he went further, and in five years he was ready to start out."

Watari leaned forward in his seat. "Lawliet…" he asked seriously, "Have you ever heard of _The L Initiative_?"

Lawliet paused and chewed his thumbnail as he searched his brain. "I think so," he replied. "Father never mentioned it, but I saw the name _L_ a few times in the NPA archives. He was a great detective, correct?"

"Not just great; _the_ greatest detective in the world. It was Beyond who first came up with the concept. That instead of hundreds of average-level detectives working to solve crime, there should be only one, supreme detective; one that was extraordinarily brilliant and could solve any case, for any organization. The world would be his battleground, and the police force his pawns. I thought his idea deserved further consideration. 'Who should this supreme detective be?' I asked him.

" 'Why, me, of course,' he replied. He took the concept to the ICPO, and once they began considering it offered himself as a suitable L. They were skeptical at first, but after he solved dozens of difficult cases all over the globe they were convinced. And so, when he was fifteen, he became L."

"Woah…" Lawliet breathed. He took another sip of hot chocolate and returned his attention to Watari. "Did he manage?"

"Oh, he handled it admirably, and got better at it as the years went by. Hundreds of detectives and agents tried to discover his true identity, but they never could. The ones that got too close disappeared. Beyond made sure of that. And at his request, I became Watari, his face to the world and personal assistant.

"Besides his incredible mind, he had another weapon up his sleeve that made him truly unique. It was the Eyes."

"What were they like? I mean, what _were_ they? How did they work?" The boy asked, feeling another shiver run down his spine at the mention of the name.

"I doubt it was anything supernatural, even if he convinced you it was when you were small. Reapers are a thing of people's imagination, a figure created to frighten small children. Beyond was always interested in people, and if he pinpointed someone who was a suspect or interested him, he would research them. He would predict their lifespans based on their way of living, habits, etcetera. And more often than not, his assumptions were accurate. He called this skill his Shinigami Eyes."

"I see…" Now that Watari had explained it, it made sense. "I suppose he could have used contacts or something back then to make his eyes look red."

"He did."

That had been an awful day. It was Halloween, and Beyond told him about the reapers and the Shinigami Eyes just to scare him. He even made his eyes glow red. Watari was furious when he found out, had to spend the rest of the day trying to calm down the terrified child, and made Beyond apologize afterwards too. Not that it helped much.

What made it worse was that Halloween happened to be on the same day as his birthday.

"How did Beyond find me?"

The old man scratched his mustache thoughtfully. "Well, when I wasn't helping Beyond on his cases, I enjoyed inventing as a past-time. Many of my inventions brought me a great deal of money, and with this money I founded orphanages all over the world. You see, in the years I spent training Beyond I realized how much I enjoyed helping children hone their talents to the fullest. I also realized that if it was possible for one child to have such intelligence, there must be others with similar skills. So I frequently toured the world, and if I found a child that was exceptionally talented I brought them here - to the House – for specialized training in their fields. Some were orphans, and for them the House became a home. For those that had families, it became a boarding school.

"Each of these children was personally approved by Beyond, and sometimes he conducted his own research and found candidates he wanted for the House. But in truth, it was his love for sweets that brought him to you. He found you outside a cake shop the day you had been abandoned. Do you remember?"

"I do. He bought me cake, right?"

"That's right. He realized immediately that you were special, since your speech patterns and way of thinking were superior to an average three-year-old. Once he brought you here he ran several tests on you, and discovered you had an incredible IQ; one that, if honed properly, would equal and possibly even surpass his own. This convinced Beyond that you were the child he'd been looking for. The one who would become his successor."

"The next L…" Just the thought was almost overwhelming. "Beyond really thought I could become L?" Lawliet asked hesitantly, hardly daring to believe it was a possibility. _The greatest detective in the world…_

Watari smiled. "He did. He believed it more than anything else. Even though you were still young, he could already see your potential and he did his best to teach you to harness it. But…as the years went by, the pressure of being L increased, and it took its toll on his mental health. Still Beyond continued his work to the point of obsession – it was his life. For fifteen years it had been the one thing he cared about. You were the second.

"Then a little over a year after you came to live here, for the first time, Beyond lost a case. It was a particularly important one to him and resulted in the deaths of nearly a hundred civilians and police officers. He did a few lesser cases after that, but that defeat was a crushing blow. In the end, Beyond decided that there was no reason to continue the _L Initiative_ any longer. Crime and injustice continued regardless of his efforts, he told me, so why should he continue fighting for what was a lost cause?

"Granted, I understood how such a defeat would affect any detective, but still I thought he was being unreasonable. We quarreled, and that night he packed his bags and left England." The old man lowered his head with a sigh and continued, "I haven't seen him since."

Lawliet felt a mix of anger and grief rush through him. "Beyond was a coward!" he burst out. "He should have continued being L, regardless of his defeat! A detective never gives up – surely he knew that!"

"Oh, I am certain he did. But after so many years of continuous success, Beyond thought he was undefeatable. No criminal could outsmart L, and he let the world know it. But for what it was worth, even _he_ was only human."

The boy gazed down at his hands. He'd never imagined someone so extraordinary could be defeated just like _that_. It wasn't fair. _It's not right. It's not how a detective should go down._

"How did I end up…well, in Japan?" he asked in a small voice. "Did you not want me anymore, with Beyond gone?"

A pained expression flashed across Watari's face. "Lawliet…believe me, I would have gladly kept you with all my heart. Beyond was like a father to you, and to me you were as dear as any grandchild. But when Beyond left, he had full intention to find a new base - I didn't know where – and when it was ready come back and get you. As I said, his mental health was collapsing, and he was no longer thinking straight. In a state like that I was afraid of what he could do to you. So I immediately put you up for adoption, and arranged all the papers and formalities so once you found a family you could leave as soon as possible.

"That was when I received a call from an old friend of mine, your father. He and your mother were looking for a child to adopt, so their little son would have a companion. Originally they wanted someone younger than their son, but I told them about you and what a fine boy you were, so they came to England to meet you. They fell in love with you instantly, especially your mother; and as a favor to me took you home with them right away."

The old man leaned back in his chair. "And the rest you know."

That was all. There was no more to say.

Lawliet said nothing for a while, letting everything he had just heard sink in. In truth, he didn't know what to think. When he was small Beyond had been his hero, and the closest thing he had to a dad. But he had failed, succumbed under the weight of L, and now he was gone. _We don't even know if he's still alive._ Slowly he traced the letter L with his finger over and over on his armrest, his mind sharpening the way it did whenever he worked on a case.

 _I cannot let Beyond's work be in vain._

There had never been a second L – he could tell that much just by looking at Watari. Nearly six years had passed since Beyond's disappearance, but not a single detective had dared step up to take his place.

Because, when it came down to it, that place was reserved for only one person.

It had been reserved since the moment Beyond looked over the IQ test results and decided who his successor would be.

The only person who could be L…was _him_.

 _But…I can't. I can't. I am not good enough,_ his mind protested.

 _You must. Beyond knew you were good enough, and you will be. Greater, even. You are strong. You are capable of things greater than you could ever imagine. Isn't that what he used to say?_

Images flashed through his mind faster than camera shutters; of his memories, his cases, and most of all, his family. If he did it…if he became the greatest detective in the world, he could do what he had promised his mother he would do when he grew up – help people. Make the world a better place. And protect his family.

Nobody would disappear again. Not if he could help it.

Slowly he looked up and fixed his gaze on Watari as he gathered his resolve. "Watari…" he said quietly yet firmly, "I will become L."

The old man's eyes met his. "You say that now, but it's not as simple as you think. L is far from an average detective. You may be at the level of a superior NPA officer – if what your mother's said about you is any indication to go by – but the L level is several hundred, maybe a thousand times greater than that."

"But I can learn. If I start now, in time I can reach that level." At this an idea popped into Lawliet's mind. "You trained the first L. You can train me as well. I can learn from Beyond's work and become better."

"Lawliet, listen to me," Watari pleaded earnestly. "Being a detective means more than the glory that comes with it. Especially as L. You must be able to solve every case the rest of the world can't. You must stay invisible, always hidden behind a shadow of anonymity. And above all, you must be prepared to lose your humanity. You can never trust anyone but a select few, you cannot have attachments, and you cannot love. These things are a detective's downfall. People will become nothing but pawns to you, and you must be able to manipulate them by any means to reach your goal, even at the cost of their lives. Can you stand to play with life like that – with humans like you, with _children_ , even? Beyond thought he could, and in time it broke him. Do you truly think you will fare any better?"

The boy's thoughts screeched to a halt. To be able to give up his humanity and take the world in his hands…that would take _strength_ , strength he was certain he could never hope to imitate. _But Beyond was able to do it for fifteen years._ His mind took off again, calculating percentages and the risks involved. _If I can do it for at least that long, it will be enough time to find a new person to take up the role of L after me. I can grow strong; perhaps I can even continue for longer than Beyond. And if not…then I will have fulfilled my duty as a child of the House._

"It is indeed a tremendous burden to carry," Lawliet said aloud. "But the world _needs_ L, Watari; it needs him more than you know. Without him, crime will just get worse every year. I will train, and I will reach the required level, even if it takes me twenty years."

"I'm sure it will take you much less than that. But in solving crime you will also make many enemies. If you leave any hint of a trace behind you, they will follow it, and if they find you…" His voice trailed off. "If you become L, you may save lives, yes, but you may also be cutting your own life short. Even if you don't die, it is still a life filled with tension and mistrust. You will never live a normal life like other young adults; not even with your family. You might not even live to reach adulthood. Are you prepared for that?"

The heavy bells outside the House tolled three times, and the sound seemed to echo in the boy's heart.

Lawliet pursed his lips tersely. "Are you trying to discourage me from becoming L?" he asked. "If so, I applaud your effort. I know you're speaking the truth - and I by no means intend to disrespect your experience – but you cannot stop me. I understand the risks…and I know that all you've said and more awaits me. But I'm willing to take those risks."

He searched the old man's face, hoping to find a trace of reason for his reluctance, and he found it. "You are afraid…that you will lose me the same way you did Beyond." Slowly he slipped off his chair and hugged Watari tightly. "I will not fall like him. That is a promise." 

* * *

When he opened his eyes again, the sun was already peeking through the cloudy Winchester sky and through the curtains. Lawliet didn't remember getting back to bed after talking to Watari, but he assumed the old man had carried him here later on.

Rubbing his eyes sleepily, he sat up and looked around. Sachiko was already gone. Next to his bed, next to the strawberries on the small table, he spotted a stack of files that hadn't been there before. It was the locked one he had seen earlier in Beyond's room. Beside it was a Rubik's cube, and on top of both was a sheet of paper.

Curiously he picked it up and read it.

 _I am speaking to your mother now. She's adamant to not let you do it, but I will do my best to convince her. These two items were the last things Beyond left for you. The cube is an altered one he designed himself; that is for you to solve at leisure. But if you can open the files and decrypt everything inside them, then I will see what I can do about your training._

 _Watari_

 _Yes!_ Lawliet eagerly picked up the pack of files and examined the lock. An agent from the NPA had taught him how to pick all kinds of locks a while back, and he was sure he could do this one too. But no – that was cheating. Maybe later, in another situation.

His thin fingers slowly turned the lock, searching for any clue to what the numbers were. Finally, upon closer study, he found a smidgen of a fingerprint on one of the numbers, and a tiny scratch on another. With those two it was simple enough to find the third.

The lock popped open with a metallic click, and carefully the ten-year-old slipped it off and took out the files. They were all encoded in some sort of combination of binary code and a traditional code. _Oh. Of course._ The first part of the test was to be answered honestly – to see if he could discover something without taking the easy way. But the second part required him to cheat.

Because, when you think about it, there is never an honest detective.

Lawliet tucked the files under his arm and opened the door, careful to not let it creak. He ran noiselessly down the hall, just passing the open door to the sitting room where the adults were without them seeing him.

" – and besides, it's what he truly wants more than anything. If he is this passionate about it, you can be sure he will do his best to succeed. And he will have you to help him."

"But he's only a child! You can't expect a child to handle a job like that!"

The boy shook his head and kept running until he reached Beyond's room. _Just you wait, Mom. I can do this._ Closing the heavy door behind him, he sat down at the steel desk and booted up the mammoth computers. It was surprising to see computers here, from a day when computers and Internet were not yet widely available to the public, but then again, Beyond had been L, and Watari was an inventor. It was then for granted that the detective would have the highest level of technology available to him, even higher than the FBI or CIA.

The dim lights of the computers flickered on, and he sighed with relief that it wasn't password-protected. _Watari must have deactivated it._ Quickly his fingers flew over the keyboard, searching through the archives for any codes that would fit the one in the files.

There were indeed hundreds of codes, but as Lawliet scanned over them he couldn't find the one he needed. That was when he noticed that every twenty codes or so there was one highlighted in red. Each one was in a different style – Morse, binary, traditional or otherwise. His eyes widened as it all came together. His mind was already putting together the digits as he printed out the thirty-five codes and sat down on the floor with both files and codes.

If he took one element from each code and used them to make a completely new code, it made the exact one he was looking for. A faint smirk spread over his face, and with the code memorized he raced back to his room.

Now that he knew the code, reading the files was no problem. His mind translated the dots and letters for him as he went along. It was a guidebook, containing valuable information about the police organizations of the world, and about L. It would be worth millions in the right hands. Lawliet gripped the files tighter, the words inside rushing in him like a tsunami.

 _Courage._

 _Honor._

 _Pride._

 _Intelligence._

 _These are the qualities that make L._

 _And most of all, Justice._

 _I live and die for Justice. Because I am L._

That was all he needed to read right now. Watari had said only to decrypt it, not memorize it. The test was over.

With a smile Lawliet hugged the files to his chest and left the room to find Watari, the words inside still burning in his mind.

 _I am L._

 _The world is mine._


	5. The Race Is On

**Hey everyone! I hope you're liking the story so far! Don't forget to drop a review when you're done reading - it really means a lot to me. :)  
I just wanted to mention that I won't be updating my stories for a little while, because I have my IGCSEs going on and I won't have time to write or post for the next month. But after that I'll get back to work, I promise! **

10 years later:

That was how it began, all those years ago. After their return to Japan Lawliet began intensively training, and to both Sachiko's and Watari's shock he beat Beyond's record. In a little over three years he was ready to begin as L.

Watari was right, that day when he talked to her. Her son had an incredible mind – it had only needed to be honed properly.

Ever since then, she had stayed with him to help all she could; and at the old man's suggestion she became Sarada, L's anonymous connection to the world and personal assistant. This meant that she had to return back to her detective life, leaving Light under Soichiro's care. The two were almost always travelling around the world for the various cases they took, and while this was stressful at first, in time Sachiko became accustomed to their new life. It was during this time that he also developed the quirks that came to define him later on.

Now just like that day ten years before, they were pulling up in front of Wammy's House for a visit. It had been over six months since they'd last been here, and Lawliet was anxious to check on his three young protégés.

The 20-year-old stepped out of the sleek black limo, his features relaxing as he slung his laptop bag over his shoulder. "Come on, Sarada," he said, slowly walking up to the House.

It was good to see him taking time off. He did it so rarely it was almost a treat. Even now he had half a dozen cases on his computer which he would work on that night.

"Watari?" Lawliet called as he opened the door. "It's me and Sarada."

"Ryuuga! Ryuuga's here!" Six or seven children raced down the stairs and clustered around him eagerly. "How was your trip?"

"It was good, thank you." The young detective ruffled up several heads with a chuckle. "Is Watari home?"

"He went out for a walk, but he should be back soon." Both adults looked up to see a lanky fourteen-year-old leaning over the stair banister. He flashed a cheeky grin. "Welcome back. The gang's waiting for you."

"It's good to see you too, Matt." Sachiko smiled warmly at the teenager. "Go on, Ryuuga. I'll take our bags upstairs."

Lawliet ran up the stairs after Matt, and the woman sighed contentedly as she watched them go. Since the young man hardly ever saw Light anymore, he had created a close bond with these three, whom he had met at the House shortly after he became L. They were like his little brothers – and to them, having grown up most of their lives knowing him, he was both an older brother and their hero.

They, of course, were the only ones in the House besides Watari who knew Lawliet was L. Everyone else thought he was just a friend of the old man's.

The youngest one was named Near. (Of course, everyone here still used aliases.) He had been four years old when Lawliet befriended him; an adorably quiet, withdrawn child who hardly talked unless it was necessary and spent all day in white pajamas creating complex structures with his toys. Now he was eleven, and still did mostly the exact same things he did back then. With his silvery-white locks, dull grey eyes, and smart-alec nature, everyone avoided him. But Lawliet had noticed back then how much Near resembled himself as a child, and after some research diagnosed him as a high-functioning autistic.

Immediately the detective took the child under his wing and saw to it that Near would get the help and training he needed. Since then the boy had progressed rapidly on the brain level; and he fully intended to follow in Lawliet's footsteps as L. He was the smartest child in the entire House and a careful, deliberate thinker, who always moved at just the right moment and never did something he could make someone else do.

The next boy was Mello. He was a year older than Near, with shoulder-length golden-blond hair and narrow, piercing blue eyes. Unlike Near, he never waited around for others to carry out his orders, preferring to do them himself. He was hot-headed, unapproachable and often let his emotions get the better of him, but he was fiercely loyal to L and determined to surpass Near as the better detective. He was the second smartest child in the House – Near was first. And that bothered him even more than the detectives and people visiting the House always mistaking him for a girl.

Back when Mello was little, out of the three of them he was the closest to Sachiko. To him she was like the mother he never had, and he loved to watch her work or tease stories out of her. And she was happy to oblige. It helped to fill in the gap where Light had been. Now that he was twelve he kept his distance, but they still shared conversations and an occasional story whenever they met.

Lastly was Matt. He was two years older than Mello; tall, lean, with copper-red straight hair and wide green eyes that were almost always hidden behind thick goggles. Unlike the other two boys his major wasn't detective work, and he had no interest in becoming the next L. His expertise was in computers and hacking. But he knew how to weave these skills into the deduction art when he needed to, and there was no firewall he couldn't break into.

Lawliet knew he could easily surpass Mello if he wanted to, and with work maybe even Near. But Matt didn't have that kind of motivation and was too lazy to go up against Mello, his best friend. Tech was his thing, and he preferred to stick to that. Oh, and gaming. He was a wicked gamer, and when he wasn't hacking he was busy playing on his Xbox or Gameboy.

If Sachiko thought about it, he was probably the only normal teenager out of the trio.

None of them had told the detective their real names yet, and he didn't pry. He trusted they would tell him when the time was right.

A door slamming jolted her out of her reverie as she finished arranging the bags in her room. She stood up and stretched her back, turning around in time to see Lawliet, Mello, Near, and Matt burst out of the albino's room.

"Sarada! We're going on the Outing now – is there anything you need from town?" Mello called as he took another bite from his chocolate bar. He was rarely seen without one.

"No, it's fine. Where are you heading this time?"

"Concert!" Matt yelled from behind him. "Ryuuga got VIP tickets to a Shakira concert later this evening, 'cos Mello loves her."

"No I don't!" the blond retorted, turning a shade of red.

"Alright, no fighting," Sachiko chided with a little laugh. "Mello, there's absolutely nothing wrong with liking Shakira. Don't let Near tell you otherwise."

"I heard that!" came a quiet announcement from the door.

"I know. Anyway, I don't think I need to tell you not to come home too late. Ryuuga, make sure Matt and Mello stay out of trouble."

"That depends on what you consider trouble." A faint smirk crossed the detective's features as he put away his laptop. "Let me know if anything important to the cases comes up."

"I will."

The four left the room, and outside they parted ways; Lawliet to dash down the stairs, Matt and Mello to slide down the banisters, and Near to get a LEGO board to slide on the stairs with.

She could hear them talking and laughing as they ran out the door, where a chauffeur was waiting with their ride. The Outing was a once-a-year occasion, which her son tried his best to make time for each year. On that day, which the four planned in advance, he flew to the House and they all went out somewhere, just to be normal kids for a little while. Last year it was to a huge amusement park. The year before that it was an arcade.

Sachiko was never invited on these outings, but she knew from the way they always came home in high spirits how much they enjoyed themselves.

 _Well, time to get back to work._ The woman sat down at her desk and opened up her laptop. There were several new cases requesting attention, but none of them met L's requirements. As a rule, he never took on a case unless there were either over ten victims or a million dollars at stake. This kept him from getting overloaded with unnecessary work.

The only exception had been three years ago. The Los Angeles BB Murder Case, it was called.

 _Don't get started on Los Angeles._ She continued typing. There was a new lead on one of the cases – it looked promising. Sachiko downloaded the information to send to Lawliet later and moved on.

After half an hour everything was taken care of. To end the day's work, she checked the daily news. _What's this?_ The woman checked different news websites, and everywhere was the same thing.

For almost five days now, all over the world, criminals were suddenly dying of mysterious heart attacks. There was absolutely no logical cause for this – most of them, both in and out of jail, had not had heart problems or anything wrong in the past. But now they were dropping like flies. And all of heart attacks – nothing else.

The number of dead criminals was running into the fifties now, and kept increasing with each day. _It's almost like someone's killing them off…but who? And who can kill with a heart attack?_

The media was going crazy about it. So were the police. Knowing them, she knew it wouldn't be long before they called L.

 _Who's responsible for this?_

* * *

It had been five days now.

Five days since he found the killer notebook.

The Death Note.

The seventeen-year-old walked home from school as leisurely as he could, restraining the urge to run as fast as his legs could carry him. His mind was still racing with the gravity of what he held in his schoolbag.

 _I wonder what Nii-san would do in this situation,_ the rational part of his mind wondered. _Would he use the notebook?_

 _Forget about him,_ argued the other part. _He's not here. He hasn't been here for seven years. Who knows what he would do?_

Ever since he was a child, he shared the same strong sense of justice as his older brother. They'd both dreamed of being detectives. Then his big brother went away and fulfilled his dream, but he preferred to continue his ordinary life, and planned to join the NPA like his father when the time was right.

Now that he was older, it seemed to him there was no point in even that. Not just the Japanese police, but police all over the world – they were nothing but incompetent fools. No matter what they did, it hardly seemed to make a dent in the crime rate. It had decreased somewhat over the last years due to the combined efforts of the world's greatest detectives, but it still wasn't enough.

Someone needed to do something. Something big.

 _It's what I've always known. This world is filled with evil. The evil should die – that's what they deserve. With this notebook, I can do it. But still, its lives I'm taking…can I really do it?_ He hesitated for a minute, then picked up his pace. _No…I can't quit. Even if it costs me my mind or my life, someone has to do it. Things can't stay as they are now. If it wasn't for crime, the world would be at peace. My brother wouldn't have had to become a detective at such a young age._

He was nearing his house now. _I will do it. Nobody else can. I'll use the notebook…and change the world._

"I'm home," he called nonchalantly as he opened the door.

"Oh, Light-kun! Good afternoon!" the family housekeeper greeted cheerily as she came out of the kitchen. "How did you do on the exams?"

"Ah. Here." Light dug through his schoolbag, pulled out the page with his exam scores, and handed it to the woman. Her eyes lit up as she scanned over it.

"Woah, 1st place in the national scholastics exam!" she exclaimed. "Wait until your father hears about it!"

"I'm sure he'll be pleased. I'm going up to my room to study. If Matsuda-kun shows up, tell him I'm busy."

"Of course."

The teenager slung his schoolbag over his shoulder and climbed the stairs to his room. Ever since Lawliet and his mother had left and Touta had started his police training, Soichiro had taken the young man under his wing as a protégé of sorts. He was considered pretty much part of the family now, and often came home with the deputy director.

Light was good friends with Touta, but it wasn't the same as in the old days. Not like how he and Lawliet had been.

With a sigh he shut the door behind him. Taking a deep breath, he dumped his bag on his desk, turned on the news on TV, and took out the notebook.

It was his now.

"Well, seems like you're enjoying yourself," said a guttural voice over his shoulder.

Startled, the teenager spun around to see a dark, grinning winged creature towering over him. "AAAAAAAH!" he screamed, losing his balance as he stumbled back. He barely registered his backside painfully hitting the hard floor. "You're…you're a Shinigami!"

"Why are you so surprised?" the creature questioned, looking bemused. "I'm Ryuk, the owner of the notebook, and yeah, I'm a Shinigami. Seems by now you've realized that ain't no normal notebook."

His eyes wide, Light's gaze darted first to the Shinigami then to the notebook, and after a moment it made sense. The rules inside the book had said it would come.

Slowly he groped for the side of his chair, the wall, anything to pull himself up with. He felt his resolve coming back, and as he stood a smirk spread over his face.

"I'm not surprised," he replied, making eye contact with the Shinigami. "In fact, I've been waiting for you…Ryuk." 

* * *

Sachiko hated bringing Lawliet back to work as soon as he came back, but this was important. After saying goodnight to the boys he examined the news articles with a frown.

"Hmm…you were right, Sarada. This _is_ serious." He chewed his thumbnail grimly as he began typing at his laptop. "Get some rest. I'll start working on this, and tomorrow I will contact the ICPO."

That meant she would have to fly to their headquarters in France the next morning. Might as well rest while she had the chance.

The last thing she remembered seeing was the young detective working on his cases, like he did countless nights. It seemed she had barely shut her eyes before light was once again shining through the windows.

Lawliet was still there, having worked all night. "The number of victims is still rising," he commented as a way of greeting. "There is no doubt they'll want me for this case."

Sachiko went to the bathroom and began getting dressed. "When do you want me to go?" she asked.

"As soon as you're ready. In the meantime I will be flying to Tokyo after the meeting at Interpol, so once you are finished please meet me there. I already went ahead and booked all our flights, since you were resting."

She winced. That was normally her job, but she'd forgotten. "Of course," the woman finally replied. "But why Tokyo? Do you have another case there?"

"No," he replied calmly. "I have already completed the cases I brought with me and sent off the results. This is for the heart attack case. There's nothing concrete yet, but I found signs that indicate the murderer may very well be in Japan. I simply need to prove it." Lawliet got up and stretched his back, got another slice of cake from the sweet-covered table, then settled back in his usual crouch in front of the laptop.

The woman carefully slipped on her trademark dark brown overcoat which effectively hid most of her figure, black leather platform boots, and pulled her hood down. That, along with the high collar of her coat, concealed her whole face. Last was the transmitter which she fastened on her ear – for communicating with L and scrambling her voice so it couldn't be traced.

With a half-smile she turned around in the mirror. "How do I look?"

Their eyes barely met for a few seconds, but he let his twinkle for her and kept on typing. "Like Sarada," he replied. "Stay safe."

"I always do. You're the one who needs looking after." Sachiko picked up her sleek laptop bag and checked it one last time. That done, she closed the door behind her and left the House.

In the _L Initiative_ , there was always a team of two people. One was L, the supreme detective, and the other was his representative to the world, and the one who took care of everything for him. The only thing L was to get involved in was his cases – the rest was left to his assistant. This bond required the highest level of trust.

The first L, Beyond, had relied too heavily on Watari to do everything at his beck and call, and Lawliet was determined to not make the same mistake. At the beginning he had done the same thing – the role of L was so great and almost overwhelming, he couldn't afford to worry about anything other than his cases.

But then things happened; things they hardly spoke about, things that still haunted their dreams.

These things made him stronger. But also harder.

He no longer relied on her the same way he did at first, or even the way he did as a child. Like with everything, Lawliet had every possible situation and outcome planned out in his head so he would never be at a loss for what to do. That included her being killed in action.

If anything happened to her, he had to be ready to handle everything on his own. To be both L _and_ Sarada.

That was why he did little things like this – not because of any concern or petty gesture towards her.

It was why every time he did it she was reminded of the innocence he's lost long ago.

But now, there was no time to reminisce on the past. In a few hours she would be in France, and she had to prepare all the necessary protocols with Interpol. 

* * *

At Interpol, everyone was in an uproar. The recent killings baffled the police and their organizations, who couldn't figure out the reason behind them. While it gave her a mean sense of pleasure in a way to see their feathers so ruffled, Sachiko knew it gave L all the more reason to get to the bottom of this. The ICPO hadn't been in such chaos since the Great Detective War.

Oh, there was her husband with the Japanese representatives. She'd have to go and say hello to him after the meeting. Perhaps they could travel back to Tokyo together. That would be nice, and a faint blush crept over her cheeks at the thought. It had been too long since she'd been there.

 _Stop that. Stay focused._ The woman adjusted the receiver in her ear to make sure it stayed in place, then stood taller. Nobody had seen her yet, but soon she would make her move.

"Even if they're criminals on death row, killing is still a crime! There's no way over 100 people could coincidentally die of a sudden heart attack!"

"It's impossible to organize a mass murder of this scale and frequency! Even if the FBI or CIA could pull it off…"

"Why would they do such a thing?"

"That settles it. We'll have to call L on this one."

"That won't be necessary," Sachiko spoke up for the first time. A collective gasp rose from the desks as she strode to the center of the hall. For a few moments the only sound to be heard was the faint click of her boots. "Gentlemen, L has already begun work on this case. He only waits for your cooperation."

Another buzz of murmurs rose from the delegates, and she cleared her throat. "Silence," she called, her voice ringing across the hall as she smoothly placed the laptop and its microphones on the center table. "I give you now the voice of L."

They'd been through this routine over a thousand times now. She'd bring the laptop to the meeting, and through it L would communicate with the police. He could see them, but they couldn't see him.

The light of the laptop flickered on to show the stylized black letter that represented him, L.

 _"Greetings to all of you at the ICPO._ " As usual, his voice was altered with a distorter, just like hers. " _I…am L. The difficulty of this case lies on its unprecedented scope. Make no mistake. We are witnessing an atrocious act of murder, one that is unforgivable. This case can only be solved with the full cooperation of the ICPO. That is, all of the police organizations you represent around the world. Each of you must decide to fully support the investigation at this meeting. Also, I require additional support from Japan's National Police Agency._ "

"What? Why Japan in particular?" asked Soichiro from the Japan booth.

 _"Whether this guilty party is an individual or a group, there is a strong possibility they are Japanese. And even if they are not, we can be sure they're in Japan."_

"Do you have any proof to back up this assumption?" called another delegate.

 _"Why Japan, you ask? I think I will be able to provide you with proof of that after I directly confront the culprit. At any rate, I would like to set up the investigation headquarters in Japan."_ With that, the laptop went black. The transmission was over. 

* * *

Lawliet switched off the microphone connected to his own laptop and popped another cupcake in his mouth. So far things were going as he planned. His private jet was waiting an hour's drive from here, ready to leave at a minute's notice.

He just needed to make a few preparations for this little confrontation of his, and he was good to go.

His long fingers typed quickly at the computer as he searched through lists of Death Row inmates in the U.S. Penitentiary. He stopped at one, and a faint smirk crossed his features. _This will do._

Immediately he called the Penitentiary security. "This is L," he stated, switching on his microphone. "I wish to speak to inmate number 5492. He has vital information to the heart attack murder case."

 _"Certainly. Just wait a moment, please."_ The cameras went off for a few minutes. It was good to have everybody in debt to him for one thing or another. It had taken time, but now it was finally paying off – everything flowed like clockwork.

Soon the cameras came back on, and Lawliet gazed down at his inmate. "Greetings. You are Lind L. Tailor, correct?"

 _"Yeah. What do you want?"_

"I have a job for you, Tailor. If you succeed, you will be helping us catch a major criminal and will be pardoned from execution."

 _Let's see how you handle this…_

 _…Kira._


	6. In My Hands The Means

The Interpol meeting had taken longer than expected, and by the time Sachiko and the Japanese delegates got their flight back to Tokyo she was certain Lawliet had already left. Oh well.

"It's been a while," she commented as Soichiro flagged down a taxi. "I'd wanted to visit more often, but you know how work is."

"Of course. But would it really kill you to phone home once in a while?" her husband retorted, his tone slightly biting.

"Look, I'm sorry. I just want you and Light to be safe."

"I'm more than capable of keeping myself safe, I can assure you. And Light too, since you're too busy with Lawliet to care about him."

Her eyes darkened. She'd let that comment slide, for now. "Speaking of which," she asked pleasantly in an attempt to change the course of the conversation, "How _is_ he?"

"He's doing well. He studies a lot; his grades are so high he's become Japan's #1 student. I found him a good university where he can continue further, and when the next semester starts he'll be going there."

"That's good." The two fell silent as they drove away from the airport, and Sachiko glanced at her husband with a sinking feeling. She tried to visit home whenever she could, but these times were rare – partly because the duo almost always had cases that needed to be solved, partly because she didn't want to risk L's security or her family's safety by visiting too often. Because of this, her relationship with Soichiro had grown distant at best. This greatly saddened her, but the woman hoped that with the new case being in Japan, maybe she could spend some extra time with him.

Originally when she first started being Sarada, she would visit home every few months to check up on Light and make sure everything was okay. But the years went by, and she got busier, and if she was to be plainly honest, after the Great Detective War she hated the thought of leaving Lawliet alone. Also by this time Light had grown older and didn't need her as much.

The silence grew more awkward, neither of them stepping up to dispel it. Finally Sachiko could stand it no longer.

"Do…do you want to go out later, if you're not too tired? That would give us an opportunity to catch up on things."

For a little while her husband didn't answer, then finally he nodded. "Alright. That sounds good."

"Thank you," she replied, feeling relieved. _That's one thing taken care of._ Now to check on Lawliet. She clicked open her phone, tapped a series of digits, and held it to her ear.

 _"Hello, Sarada."_ The digital voice sounded pleasantly amused. _"I assume you have arrived already."_

"Indeed. Where are you?"

 _"Look to your left."_

Curiously she peered over her shoulder at the rushing highway. There passing by their taxi was a sleek black limo which she recognized immediately. "You rascal. Why didn't you tell me you'd landed before me?" she scolded with a laugh.

 _"Because that completely ruins the element of surprise, Sarada, something that I prefer to keep on my side."_ The tone of the voice changed, and she could have sworn she heard a light chuckle. _"I knew I could get you. Mello owes me five pounds and a chocolate cake."_

"Chocolate cake? How old are you, ten?"

 _"It was on the day of the Outing. On that day I'm not required to act like a detective."_ There was a moment of silence, and Sachiko watched his limo speed up and continue on its way. _"You should spend more time with Dad. We're in Japan now – make the most of it. I can take care of myself."_

"I agree, but I still intend to help all I can, especially with this 'direct confrontation' you're planning to do. Are you sure it's really necessary?"

 _"You needn't worry. This is the only way to bring this murderer out into the open, and I am confident it will work according to plan."_ The line went dead with a beep, and the woman tucked her phone away with a sigh.

She had several hours until home to catch up with Soichiro, and one more day after that. After that, after L confronted the murderer…

…The case would officially begin. 

* * *

"Why the long face?" Ryuk asked from where he hovered alongside Light. The teenager continued his brisk walk, eager to get home as soon as possible. "You should be happy. Everything's going just the way you wanted it."

"It's not that," the teenager muttered, keeping his voice low. It wouldn't do for people to hear him and think he was talking to himself. "It's the Death Note. I always get nervous leaving it at home, and I can't risk taking it with me to school. Either way, it could easily fall in the wrong hands. That's the last thing I need."

"Hey, you're not the first guy to have that problem. So long as you're careful, it should be fine." The shinigami looked around and let out a low whistle. "Wooh, sweet ride. Get a load of that, Light!"

The boy turned to see what Ryuk was looking at, and his heart jumped.

It wasn't the jet-black limousine, which looked state-of-the-art and like it could belong to a millionaire.

It was the dark-haired young man inside who rolled his window down and waved at him with a smile. Even after all these years, he hadn't forgotten those features.

 _Nii-san?!_ he wondered in disbelief. _What's he doing here?_

"Hey, do you know him?" Ryuk piped up curiously.

Light held up his hand, both to shut up Ryuk and to wave back as he crossed the street to where the car was parked. He took his time walking, the few extra seconds giving him time to regain his composure.

"Light!" his brother greeted as he clambered out of the limo. "It's been a long time." He stepped forward and hugged him awkwardly.

The teenager returned the embrace and gave him a broad smile. "You're telling me. You've changed a lot. In a good way, I mean."

"So have you. I imagine you must be quite the attraction to your female classmates."

"Nah. I don't have time for that," Light replied with a short laugh. "So why are you here? Something tells me it's not just a family visit."

"Is it ever?" Lawliet ran his hand through his jet-black bangs as his smile faded. "Granted, now that I'm here I was hoping to catch up with you a little, but yes, I came here for a case. Mom and Dad are on their way as well. They've probably arrived home by now, since I made a detour to pick you up."

"Then let's go – maybe we still have a chance of beating them."

The determined smirk Light remembered so well reappeared on his brother's face. "A race then?" he asked as he climbed into the back seat.

Light slipped his schoolbag off his back and joined him, slamming the car door shut behind them. "You bet."

"Full speed, Taka! Full speed!"

The tires squealed as the chauffeur turned the limo around in the direction of their home. Its speed went faster and faster until it was at the edge of the street limits; and for that moment - just that moment - with the engines roaring and the wind tearing in through the open window, the two weren't a detective and high school student.

Right now, they were just brothers.

Right now they were free to laugh and yell and cheer as if they were at a soccer match.

"There it is! I see it!" Light yelled excitedly. "They're a block from our house!"

"We have to go faster!" The detective's eyes lit up and he turned to the driver. "Activate the nitro boosts! We're far enough to pull it off!"

The car ricocheted forward so suddenly that the two boys were thrown to the back of the limo, then propelled into the front seats as it came to a screeching halt. A full two seconds later the taxi arrived and neatly parked next to them.

"Yeah! We made it!" The teenager grinned and fist-bumped Lawliet, who was still rubbing his head.

"Good lord, are you two trying to kill yourselves?" Soichiro scolded as he got out of the taxi. Sachiko followed close behind, looked rather pleased by contrast.

"We were just having fun," Light explained as he yanked out his mistreated bag and waited until his older brother had hopped out of the car before following suit. "It was _Nii-san_ 's idea."

The rush of the car ride wore off as the four walked into the house with their respective baggage, and the two boys glanced at each other nervously, each thinking of what to say next.

What do you say to someone you haven't seen in three years?

Sure, that had been the length of time they'd gone without meeting in person only, but still. While Sachiko tried to avoid contact with her family in order to keep them safe, Lawliet was more of a risk-taker by nature. Every six months or so – each time from a different location and device – he would phone or Skype his little brother and they would catch up on each other's lives.

When Lawliet had last seen Light he was still a child; a round-faced, studious junior high student who was top of the class and the school's tennis champion. Now he was seventeen, and preparing to enter university.

 _How time does fly._

"Is my room still the way I left it?" he asked once he'd cleared his throat.

Light raised an eyebrow. "I haven't entered it, so I wouldn't know. But I don't see why it shouldn't be. It might be kind of dusty though."

"I'll go fix it up," Sachiko announced, heading up the stairs.

She smiled to herself at the sound of the boys talking downstairs. There had been times in the past when she'd worried that maybe Lawliet's frequent calls would put Light in danger, but now it looked like they had paid off. The two were still on good terms, the way brothers should be.

It was more than she could say for herself and Soichiro.

Fishing out the key from her pocket, she slipped it in the door and after a second's hesitation, unlocked the room.

It was similar in arrangement to Beyond's at the House; empty, except for the soft carpeted floor covered with computers and other tech on one side, and a rolled up futon next to a _kotatsu_ on the other side. ( _Kotatsu_ s were the detective's favorite part of Japanese culture, and he had one in each of his main safehouses.) The walls were bare, as Lawliet found it easiest to concentrate when there was little to distract his attention.

The room was the same one he used as a child, with Light's residing on the other side. The only difference was that it had been soundproofed to keep unnecessary noise from coming in or going out.

Everything was already set up ready for use, so all Sachiko had to do was give the place a quick dusting and arrange the bags containing his case files and few belongings. She stoked up the heater in the _kotatsu_ so it would be warm by the time Lawliet came up, looked around one more time, then shut the door behind her, satisfied with her work.

Now she could go enjoy the rest of the evening with her husband.

As she came down the stairs she could see her two sons still talking in the living room, and it made her smile.

"Lawliet, I'll be out for the evening with your father. Let me know if anything comes up, alright?"

The detective glanced up and nodded. "Sure."

"Have a good time, Mom," Light added.

Both parents walked out the door, and soon enough they could see the car driving away. Once the noise had faded Lawliet turned his attention back to his brother.

"I assume you have heard about the criminal murders going on, correct?" he asked.

"It's hard not to – there's been nothing else on the news lately. They're calling him 'Kira' now, like the English word for killer. It sort of fits, I guess."

"I know. I wanted to ask you if you had any thoughts regarding this case. I'd be interested in hearing your opinion."

The teenager pursed his lips and furrowed his brow slightly. "I told you, I'm done with L work. It's your life, and I respect that, but it's not _my_ life."

"This isn't about L." Lawliet cocked his head to one side and inspected the new crack in the ceiling. "I'm asking you as a brother. You're brilliant at cases like this – don't think it's escaped me that you help Dad with his NPA cases. But I have no intention of bringing you in again."

Light gave him a relieved nod. "If that's all it is, then I'm your man." He leaned back on the sofa and answered, "I'm afraid since this case is rather new, all I know is what I've gotten from TV reports and the Internet."

Lawliet didn't answer, prompting him to continue.

"What I think, is that Kira is trying to get our attention. If he was only killing for revenge or for an assassination mission, the deaths would be hidden, maybe done at night. But many of these happen in broad daylight, and the media finds out right away. Everyone knows that those are the worst situations for a murder, unless you're doing it specifically so the world can find out. That's what Kira wants."

"Hmm…that seems plausible." _I'd forgotten how sharp you were, Light,_ the detective thought in admiration. _I almost do wish you would join me on this case. But then again, after the Great Detective War, I don't blame you for not wanting to._

"Of course, the real question is not why Kira is doing this, but _how_ he's doing it. With the prison deaths, it's obvious there was no one present when these criminals died, which means it couldn't have been with a weapon. Unless there was some kind of drug…" His voice trailed off, and he cracked a smile. "If Matsuda- _kun_ was here, he'd probably say something along the line of, 'Maybe he has powers that can kill people just by looking at them! Like Itachi Uchiha from _Naruto_!'"

"Well, not everybody can be as intelligent as you, Light. Or me, for that matter. But don't worry; I _will_ get to the bottom of this case. Nothing happens without a logical explanation - not even mysterious heart attacks."

"Ooh, 'nothing happens without a logical explanation', so true," Ryuk imitated mockingly behind Light.

"I certainly hope so," the boy replied, taking no notice of the shinigami. "If Kira grows more powerful before you catch him…nobody will be safe." 

* * *

Today was the day.

The confrontation would begin today.

Today, or tomorrow, or in a few days, Lawliet would pinpoint Kira's location. It all depended on his luck, right now.

He was used to making gambles like this; it was his life. Nobody can gain anything without taking a few risks.

"Sarada," he called, switching on his communicator, "Have you arrived at the NPA's headquarters?"

" _I'm there now. Everyone here and at Interpol is waiting for the broadcast. Are you ready?"_

"As always." Lawliet shut the line off and kept typing. "Tailor, the broadcast begins in ten minutes. Are you prepared?"

 _"I don't have any reason not to be. Are you sure this is gonna work?"_

"Of course it will. All you have to do is recite what I wrote, once for each time we make the broadcast. You'll do fine."

The detective's heart was pounding with the thrill he got every time he began a good case like this one. He reveled in that thrill alone, in his dark room surrounded by computers. It was at times like this that he remembered why he'd become a detective. There was just something about being in control, knowing the criminal would be playing into his hands, that gave him a rush unlike anything he'd ever known before.

It was all part of being L. 

* * *

"There's something you should know about people, Ryuk," Light explained as he surfed through the newly-created Kira websites popping up all over the Internet. "At school, for example, nobody would raise the question 'Is it okay to kill people that deserve to die?' If it ever _was_ raised, you can bet that everyone would give the politically correct answer. They'd all pretend to be good kids and say something along the line of, 'No, killing people is wrong.' Of course, that's the right thing to say. Humans are always trying to maintain appearances when in public."

"But _this_ ," he added, flicking his finger at the computer screen, "Is how they _really_ feel. They may be afraid of supporting me in public because of what others might think, but on the Internet, Kira is everywhere. Many people are afraid to say it out loud, but they all understand that the bad guys are being assassinated by someone. Those who haven't done anything wrong can cheer Kira on with a clear conscience; while those who _have_ done wrong are on the run."

The teenager smiled in satisfaction as he leaned back in his chair. "This is how it should be. Everything's going according to plan."

Lawliet seemed pretty determined to catch Kira, but Light was certain he wouldn't pass up a chance to eliminate some of his many enemies. He'd warm him up to the idea first, then if his brother responded positively, he could tell him about the Death Note. It wouldn't be hard to come up with a story of how he got it, and if he convinced Lawliet the Death Note could be used to stop crime and bring peace to the world, the two could work together.

And together L and Kira would cleanse the world.

The sound of the TV changing channels caught his attention, and he turned around to see Ryuk watching a sumo match eagerly.

"Ryuk, change it back to the news, I need that…wait. Hang on."

 _"We'd like to apologize for the interruption. As of now we're bringing you a live worldwide broadcast from Interpol, ICPO."_

"What's this?" Ryuk pouted on Light's bed. "I wanted to watch the other one…"

"Interpol?" The teenager sat up higher, now interested. "This has _got_ to be about Kira."

 _"We now take you live to the ICPO."_ The screen changed to show the huge Interpol symbol, and a dark-haired man at a desk surrounded by microphones.

 _"I head up an International Police Task Force which includes all member nations. I am Lind L. Tailor, otherwise known as L."_

"What…what's going on?!" Light demanded. " _That's not L_!"

"How do _you_ know that?" Ryuk retorted.

"Because _L_ is my brother, that's how! And that's not my brother! He would never show his face like that!"

"Wait, so that weird frog you were talking to is your _brother_?!"

"Shut up!"

 _"Criminals around the world are being murdered by a serial killer. I consider this crime to be the most atrocious act of murder in history. I will not rest until the person or persons responsible are brought to justice. Kira, I will hunt you down. I will find you."_

 _Hm. Nice try._ Temporarily forgetting his anger, Light got up and grabbed the notebook triumphantly. "You fool…how do you expect to catch me?" he yelled at the screen. "It's all in the notebook! If you don't have this, you got nothing on me! I can't be caught!" He relaxed back in his seat and glanced at Ryuk. "I expected the police to do something like this. Didn't think they'd stoop so low as to use a fake L, though."

 _"Kira, I think I've got a pretty good idea of what your motivation might be and I can guess what you hope to achieve. However, what you're doing right now…is_ evil _."_

Okay, now _that_ was going too far.

"Really…you think…I'm evil?" Light's voice quivered with rage as he slammed the Death Note down on his desk. "First you have the audacity to impersonate my brother, try to pass yourself off as L, and now you say that I'm evil? I am _justice_! I protect the innocent and those who fear evil! I'm the one who will become the god of a new world that everyone's waiting for! All the ones who oppose that god, _they're_ the ones who are truly evil!"

Whipping out a pen, the teenager opened the notebook and glanced at the television screen once more. _This ends now. I'm not letting this impostor let the world think he's L or insult Kira any longer._

"I guess you're just too stupid for your own good, _L_ ," he sneered as he began to form the letters on the page. "That's too bad. If only you'd been a little smarter, we could have had some fun." He finished writing with a flourish, and the deed was done.

The name was written. The seconds were counting down.

Later he would meet up with Lawliet. He'd tell him about the broadcast on TV, and they'd have a good laugh about how Interpol had set someone up to impersonate him. Or maybe it wouldn't be necessary – knowing Lawliet, he was probably watching this right now.

"Ten seconds left…" Light checked his watch and eyed the screen intently.

 _Five. Four. Three._

 _Two._

 _One._

With a cry of pain the man gripped his chest and slumped lifeless onto the desk. Tailor was dead.

 _Yes! I did it!_ Light threw his head back and laughed with glee. A burst of euphoria rushed through him as he gloated over his fallen foe. 

* * *

Lawliet stared incredulously at the dead man on screen. _Incredible. The broadcasting station was monitored especially so nobody could come in, and yet Kira still managed to kill him. This is impossible by natural means._

His hand hovered over the microphone as his eyes narrowed in a mixture of amusement and anger. _Let's see how you take this, Kira._ With that he clicked the button, and his symbol filled the broadcast screen.

"I...I had to test this, just in case, but I…I never thought it would actually happen." His voice still showed his shock at what happened. _That won't do._ The detective took a sip of water and reduced his voice to reveal only a hint of amusement. "Kira…it seems you have to ability to kill people without having to be there in person. I would never have believed it if I hadn't seen it for myself.

"Listen to me, Kira – if you did indeed kill Lind L. Tailor, the man you just saw die on television, I should tell you he was an inmate, whose execution was scheduled for today. That was not me. The police arrested him in absolute secrecy so you wouldn't have heard of him on TV or through the Internet. It appears not even _you_ have information regarding this type of criminals."

His eyes narrowed as his voice hardened. "But I assure you, L _is_ real. I _do_ exist. Now, try and kill _me_!" 

* * *

Light glared at the screen in shock as L spoke. This wasn't a fake anymore.

This was his brother. He recognized the digital voice instantly.

It didn't help that Ryuk was cackling behind him the whole time. "Well? Are you gonna do it?"

The teenager clenched his fists angrily, torn between himself. All his memories of time spent with his brother came rushing back like a flood. _I can't…I can't kill my brother._

 _You have to. He's directly challenging Kira. And you know his name and face – what's there to stop you?_

 _"What's wrong? Go ahead!"_ his brother challenged him from the screen. _"Come on, right now! Kill me!"_

 _But I can't! He saved my life!_

 _That was years ago!_

 _Shut up!_

 _"What's wrong?"_ the digital voice mocked patronizingly. _"Can't you do it?"_

All Light could do was glare as the silence dragged on.

 _"Well, Kira, it seems there are some people you can't kill. You've given me a useful hint."_

 _Quit sounding so smug. I spared your life this once – don't make me take it now._

 _"Let me return the favor. Although this was announced as a worldwide broadcast, the truth is, we are only broadcasting in the Kanto region of Japan. I had planned to broadcast this message around the world until I found you, but it seems that won't be necessary. I now know where you are."_

Ryuk cackled again behind him. "Heh, your brother's pretty good." 

* * *

This was going better than he had hoped. With every sentence Lawliet cornered Kira more. He wondered what was going through the murderer's head right now, and if he was regretting crossing L yet.

"Now, the police may have missed this, but I know your first victim was a suspect in Shinjuku. Of all the criminals that died of heart attacks recently, this one's crime was, by far, the least severe. And furthermore, this incident was only ever reported inside Japan.

"That was the clue I needed to deduce the following: You are in Japan, and your first murder was little more than an experiment, which means you haven't been killing for very long. We decided to broadcast in the Kanto region first because of its large population, and luckily, we found you."

The NPA wouldn't be pleased, he thought to himself with a hint of satisfaction. They'd be the ones putting their lives on the line the most for this case. Or at least until that convoy of FBI agents he'd ordered arrived.

"To be completely honest with you," he continued, "I didn't expect it to go this well. But it won't be too long now before I'll be able to sentence you to death."

That rush of being in control once again fueled him as he pressed forward. "Naturally I'm very interested to know how you manage to commit these murders without being present…but I don't mind waiting a little longer. You can answer all of my questions when I catch you.

"Let's meet again soon…Kira."

Lawliet pressed another button to end the transmission, and the broadcast. Leaning back on his cushion, he allowed himself a sigh of relief as he reached for his neglected bowl of strawberries.

He was still alive – needless to say he was grateful for that.

 _Then why do I still hear the bells…?_

The detective shook his head. Right now he should be thinking about what to do next. Besides, this case looked promising – unlike most cases, which were way too easy to solve, this actually posed a real challenge. It would keep him entertained for a while.

 _So you want to play, Kira?_ Lawliet popped a strawberry in his mouth and settled back in his usual crouch at the _kotatsu_. He could feel his mind sharpen with the change of posture. _Sounds good to me. Let's play._

 _I will hunt you down wherever you're hiding and I_ will _eliminate you._

 _I am justice._

 _And I am L._

* * *

As the broadcast ended, Light slumped back in his chair and buried his head in his hand. _I spare his life in memory of our friendship…and in return he plays me like a fiddle. Now he's close to finding me._

He clenched his fist so hard his knuckles turned white. _So you want to play this game, Nii-san? That's fine with me. I'll play your little game for now. But from now on, I'll show no mercy – I can't afford to let my feelings get in the way again._

 _I'll back you into a corner…and then I_ will _eliminate you._

 _I am justice._

"Really…" he muttered under his breath, "He thinks he can sentence _me_ to death? I don't think so. I accept your challenge, _L_."

"You're doing it, then?" the shinigami piped up.

"There's no way he'll find me for a good while yet. There are thousands of people in the Kanto region. And after all…" and at this his eyes glinted with a dangerous smile, "He'd never suspect his innocent little brother of being Kira."

Ryuk grinned as he watched the boy. It was _very_ entertaining to watch this unfold.

 _One thinks he can manipulate a brother he doesn't know the true identity of, and the other is unaware Kira is less than five meters away from him._

 _Humans are…so much fun._

* * *

 ** _I hope you guys enjoyed this new update! It's kind of hard keeping L and Light in character, but I'm doing my best - let me know what you think!_**


	7. In My Heart The Will

Now that the case was officially begun, Sachiko was kept busy circulating between L and the NPA Headquarters, checking on their progress and transmitting messages between the two. It kept her too busy to think about the past, and she liked that.

Because when she was free, it was all too easy to fall back into her memories.

Lawliet had the same problem. He had seen and been through things no person should have to go through, let alone a teenager. At least she had the benefit of her previous experience as a detective, but he'd never had that and had to teach himself to cope. That was probably why he worked himself half to death most of the time.

He hadn't told her he planned to challenge Kira like that at the broadcast. When it happened, when she heard him dare the murderer to kill him too, she'd seriously felt like strangling him. What if Kira had killed him then? He took risks way too easily.

Of course, now that it was over, he seemed pretty calm about the whole situation. She could even hear him telling the boys about it while working in his room.

"…I don't remember the last time I had a case like this one. It really is quite unusual."

 _"Unusual, but not completely new."_ That was Near's voice. _"There have been precedents."_

"Was this during B.B's time? I'd check myself, but since you're at Wammy's House anyway you can access the archives faster…"

Sachiko opened the door and shut it securely before setting the tray of cake she'd brought on the table. Lawliet made a sign for her to stay.

 _"No. B.B never had a case like this."_ Mello. _"Near's been researching mass heart attack murders ever since the broadcast. It's complex, but I'll sum up the main points and send the main stuff to you later. Now, it's really rare, but all throughout history there have been at least five recorded cases like Kira's."_

"So Kira has a predecessor?"

 _"At least one for each case, if not more,"_ Near explained. _"At different points in history, unconnected to important historical moments, there have been epidemics of heart attack deaths. These were always unexplained and simply considered a curse or epidemic or 'work of the gods'. The culprit was never caught in any of those cases. This means you will be the first to catch one of these murderers."_

"When was the earliest recorded case like this?"

 _"1260 B.C."_

"I see. I appreciate the information, and I shall research this further, but for now I will ask you to stay out of this as much as possible."

 _"Why?"_ Mello blurted out. _"We can help!"_

"I know. But considering we are dealing with a criminal who can kill without being present, I would prefer to keep my connections as anonymous as possible. If he finds either your identity or mine, if we are in contact we will all go down. If I need your help I will call you, I promise."

 _"Damn. Just as I was hoping we'd get some action around here. But keep that promise, 'kay? Do your best, L!"_

The three boys' voices combined _to_ chant the mantra they'd made as children. They always did it together at the beginning of an important case.

 _"I am L! The world is mine!"_

Lawliet picked it up with a chuckle. "Because I'm L! JUSTICE!" With that he shut off the connection and turned to look up at Sachiko. "I thought the confrontation would intimidate Kira, but he's going the exact opposite direction – he's being downright defiant. Once I announced he was in the Kanto region, all the killings became more concentrated in that area."

"That just confirms even more that he is here in Japan. Also, the NPA noticed that the killings take place between late afternoon and past midnight, rather like a student's schedule."

The detective slapped his knee. "Finally. I was wondering how long it would take for them to notice. Of course, there's no proof of that yet, but if it was an adult they'd be able to sneak in killings in between work hours. Students can't do that. So that is a possible lead – one we should pay attention to." Slowly he got up and stretched his back. "Is everything ready to leave?"

"As always. We'll leave when you want to." Now that the case was on, for safety's sake the two would be changing locations every few days, to keep trackers off their tails. Sachiko had already booked their next three hotels.

"I do. But first I want to say goodbye to Light." Lawliet shoved his feet into the battered sneakers he fished out from under the kotatsu and opened the door. "Please pack my equipment and take it down. I'll meet you outside."

His brother was extremely studious, cooping himself up in his room almost all day even after getting home from school. Occasionally he went out to meet with friends or the odd female classmate, but most of the time he was around at home. Lawliet paused only a moment, then knocked on the door. "Light?" he called hesitantly.

There was a sound of a key turning, and the door opened. "Hey, _Nii-san_ ," Light greeted, stepping aside to let him in. "How's the case going?"

"Acceptable, for now. Of course it's too early to tell."

"Are you going somewhere? I saw the limo being loaded outside."

"Yes…I'm afraid this is goodbye. I'll be moving to a different location for security's sake."

Light bit his lip, looking a little disappointed. "I'm sorry. I mean, not because you're leaving, but…well, I'd been hoping to spend more time hanging out. But with my finals coming up…" His voice trailed off as he twisted his hands behind his back.

"Don't feel bad," Lawliet reassured as he gazed over his brother's homework spread out on his desk. "You're not the only one who's busy. But listen…I wanted to ask a favor."

"Sure, anything."

"Will you allow me to call on you for the case, in the event that I need your input? I doubt it will come to that, but I want to end this as soon as possible."

The teenager didn't respond, suddenly taking a great interest in the equations filling the pages. "I told you, I'm done," he replied sullenly. "You're different. You can stare down a gun barrel and not give a damn. But me…I can't do that. I can't risk my life that easily." He kept his eyes lowered as he methodically arranged the pages on his desk in a neat pile. "I still have nightmares about the War."

Lawliet gripped his fist tightly. The War had greatly affected him and Sarada, but he hadn't thought Light would have been this badly affected too. Now he cursed himself for not getting Light back to normal while he had the chance.

He'd been too busy trying to ground _himself_.

 _Of course he'd suffer trauma from something like that_ , he shouted at himself mentally. The first few months of nerve-wracking psychological warfare against the greatest detectives in the world, which he would have had to bear on his own if Light hadn't insisted on joining in. The assassination attempt…the struggle, the bullet he took in his brother's stead, the blood… _No, don't think about that right now._

Unconsciously his hand went up to shoulder, where he could still feel the old scar beneath his fingers. "I do too," he admitted softly. His older brother instincts took over, and he stepped forward and quickly hugged Light. To his surprise the teenager hugged him back with the same intensity.

"If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here," he whispered. "You know my number."

Light gave the tiniest of nods. "Stay safe," he said quietly. "And catch Kira."

Lawliet managed a small smile as he released his hold and turned to leave. "That I can do." 

* * *

Light watched from the window as Lawliet walked out to the limo. So far things were going well, and his brother showed no signs of suspicion. And he'd easily gotten himself out of working under his supervision as well.

"I didn't know you were such a good actor, Light," Ryuk purred from his perch on the bed.

The teenager sat down at his desk and opened up the notebook. "It helps with manipulating people. _Nii-san_ taught me how to do it effectively when I was just a kid." His eyes flicked to his pile of unfinished homework in disdain. "I lost time in my studies. Now that he's leaving, now would be a good time to kill him before he causes me trouble."

"What's this 'War' thing you guys keep bringing up?"

With a reluctant sigh, Light leaned back in his seat. "It's a long story. I've left it in my past now."

Ryuk looked more interested. "Go on."

The seventeen-year-old shot him a glare, but the shinigami kept waiting. "When the two of us were kids, our ultimate dream was to become detectives. So naturally, when Lawliet began working as L, I joined him for various cases to help. We actually solved quite a few cases in the day. But then there was this bioterrorist attack, which was on such a large scale it nearly triggered World War III. All the detectives worldwide were up to try and stop this attack, making it the biggest case of the century. Whoever stopped it would be known as the world's greatest detective."

He scribbled casually on his homework as he spoke. "Of course, being L, _Nii-san_ jumped right into it, along with Mom. Naturally he dragged me along with him. And I was a stupid eleven-year-old at the time, so I joined in. It was, in a word… _crazy_."

No, crazy was not the right word for it. Terrifying was more like it. Whenever his thoughts drifted to that case, all he could see was blood…and his older brother defending him with his life.

"Ryuk," he added, abruptly changing the subject, "Come here a sec." The shinigami dragged himself off the bed and ambled over as Light began typing on his computer. "Have you noticed a pattern in my killings recently?"

"Well, yeah. You only kill in the late afternoons after school and at night after you do your homework."

"Exactly. Now, unless the police are complete idiots, they're going to notice this pattern. They may have already built their theories around it." He twirled his pen between his fingers as a smirk crossed his features. "Let's see if we can wreck their plans."

As pages filled with criminal records loaded on his computer screen, Light gazed down at the notebook almost hesitantly. With a deep breath, he gripped the pen and wrote a single name at the top of the page.

 _Lawliet Yagami_.

It was done. He really did it.

 _A gun clattered to the floor with a dull thud. Breathing hard, his heart beating so loud he was afraid he'd be heard, he dared to peek out from under the bed._

 _Only one person was left standing among the scattered corpses of the assassins. There was blood everywhere, and he felt bile rising up in his parched throat._

 _"Nii-san…" he whimpered, trying to stop shaking as his eyes took in the scene. The older boy turned around, his eyes dull with pain and anger. One hand gripped his shoulder tightly, the white fabric already stained crimson._

 _"Light…are you alright? Are you hurt?"_

 _"N-no…no, I'm okay." Every part of him begged to stay under the bed, but he forced his body to move for him as he crawled out. "Where's Mom? Where is she?" His voice cracked with hysteria._

 _Lawliet swayed, and he rubbed at his eyes. "…I don't know. Are you sure you're okay?"_

 _"Yes."_

 _He nodded wanely. "Good…I'm glad, then." With a faint moan the boy sank to the floor. He did not get up again._

 _"Nii-san!" The scream tore from his lips as he scrambled to his injured brother. Panic rushed through his very being, and he couldn't think. He didn't know what to do. "MOM! MOM, HELP!"_

Light opened his eyes, and found himself still gazing at the page. No; he couldn't afford to think about that. Any feelings for his brother would cloud his judgment, and he needed all his wits about him in order to outsmart the police. Besides, Ryuk was still here, and he couldn't let him think he was vulnerable in any way.

He took a few moments to breathe in, clear his mind of any distractions, and he felt his brain sharpen as he hardened himself once more. Then he glanced at the records waiting for him, and determinedly began writing names. 

* * *

**2 weeks later:**

For the police and L, things were going from bad to worse. First, their theory about Kira being a student backfired when criminals began dropping dead by the hour until the US's contribution of FBI agents arrived. That was for the police. For L, his irritation grew when Kira began controlling several victims to leave parts of a coded message behind, and just as he was thinking it was an actual clue the completed message turned out to be a worthless. A mockery.

Sachiko waited outside Lawliet's room with her ear pressed to the door. She could hear the detective arguing with the head of the FBI, and from the bits she managed to catch, it didn't sound good.

"Sarada?" he called, and she heard the click of the line disconnecting. The woman stepped into the hotel room and flicked on the lights.

"Please turn that off," the detective said quietly, his voice barely audible. He was curled up tightly in his _something's-not-right_ ball and staring at the floor.

She bit her lip anxiously. "They're dead, aren't they?" she asked, hoping her fears wouldn't be confirmed.

Lawliet's eyes met hers, and she saw the grief and anger in the black orbs for only a second before it disappeared behind his emotionless mask. "Dead…every single agent. Today. It was Kira. Now the U.S. is withdrawing their support from the case." The woman knelt next to him and couldn't stop herself from wrapping him up in a tight hug. She felt him shuffle closer to her and lean into her shoulder, and she let him rest there for a while.

Neither of them said anything. There was no need to.

Slowly he pulled away and settled back at his laptop. "I have to call Misora," he muttered faintly.

"Why?" Sachiko racked her brain, wondering where she'd heard that name before, when it clicked. "You mean Naomi Misora? The one from Los Angeles? What's she got to do with this?"

"Her fiancé was Raye Penber. He was the first to die. I feel like I should call her, to say…I don't know, _something_ … but I'm not certain if I should."

"You're not obliged to. You only met her once."

"She was vital to solving Los Angeles and finding B.. And she is the only agent who ever met me in person. It is the least I could do."

Sachiko herself had never met Misora, but she remembered Lawliet had spoken highly of her at the time. She was a strong, quick-witted, yet highly intelligent woman, without whom L would have never caught B.B. before his attempted suicide. She was also the one who'd given him the idea of learning capoeira as a method of self-defense.

Of course, he'd only gotten the hang of it _after_ she kicked him down a flight of stairs on their first meeting, but still.

"If you think you should call her, then you ought to do it," she said gently as she smoothed back his dark hair. Taking her own place at the laptop, she typed in several keywords and found the phone number she was looking for. Lawliet peeked over her shoulder at the number and punched it into his phone.

They eyes met as he did so, and an unspoken question wavered on his features as his thumb hovered over the call button.

"Say what you feel, from your heart. Then she will know it's sincere."

The detective nodded and held the phone up to his ear. He always tried to be strong, to show no emotion in his work at all, but there was a part of his heart that had been there since his childhood and never faded away. The part that felt kindness and compassion; the part that grieved for dead pawns and drove him to send comfort to a subordinate the best way he knew how.

"Hello? Misora? This is L…"

Sachiko looked down at the sound of persistent beeping in her pocket. With a sigh she flipped the phone open and stepped out of the room.

The familiar voice on the other end took away her annoyance. " _Moshi-moshi,_ Light," she greeted pleasantly. "How are you?"

 _"I'm fine. How's the case going?"_

"Not too well. Kira's giving us the slip; so Lawliet's in a pretty bad mood. Especially since we already took casualties."

 _"I see…but Nii-san's okay, right? I was kind of worried about him, with Kira on the loose and all."_

The woman smiled. "You shouldn't be worrying, Light. We've solved harder cases than this before. Everything's going to work out fine."

 _"I hope so. Thanks, Mom."_

They exchanged a few more pleasantries and then hung up. At the same time she could hear Lawliet hanging up after talking to Misora as well. While rather sorry she hadn't been able to hear how it went, she was satisfied that it had gone well.

Her son looked a little happier too, so that was good. 

* * *

"I don't understand it!" Light shouted at the air as he paced the room. "He should have died long ago! It's been two damn weeks, Ryuk! I wrote his name five times – FIVE FREAKING TIMES!"

The shinigami dangled from the ceiling, bored. "Uh-huh. Are you sure you spelled it right?"

"No, I've been illiterate my entire life," the teenager deadpanned irritably. "Of _course_ I know how to spell my own brother's name! Is it possible to be immune to the Death Note's effects?"

"Give me an apple. I want apples."

Light threw an apple at Ryuk's head. He caught it neatly and began munching contently. "If you write someone's name in the Death Note, that's it. They're done. There's no getting out of it, unless you somehow managed to convince another shinigami in that time to save you."

The boy looked up curiously. "Save you?"

"It's the only way a shinigami can die. You see, in order to live forever we have to routinely kill off humans in order to add years to our lifespans. We don't have anything against them – it's just our way of life. Anyway, if a shinigami kills a human for the sake of another person, they die and their lifespan is added to that person's life. But to be honest, I don't see any of the shinigamis I know giving up their lifespans to save your frog."

With a thoughtful shrug Light sat back down and tapped his knuckles on the desk. "Yeah…I don't see that either. He doesn't really believe in the supernatural. So if that's not it…what is it?"

He closed his eyes and brought his mind to a focus. _If I've written his name right, he's not immune to the Death Note, and more likely than not he doesn't have a shinigami working for him…wait._

 _His name._

 _Of course._

Light's eyes snapped open and he glanced up at Ryuk. "If he keeps staying alive even after I wrote his name, that can only mean one thing.

"His name isn't Lawliet Yagami…he's not my brother."

* * *

 **Update: O-o-oh my gosh, I'm so sorry...I forgot to put in the line breaks. I only just noticed today when I checked. I put them in now - sorry if there was any confusion with the different scenes. D= *kicks self***


	8. First Contact

**Hi Everyone!  
I hope you like this new chapter! Like always, please don't forget to leave a review - it really makes my day!  
For the past couple months I've gotten swept away by the Hamilton craze - it's been stuck in my head NON-STOP! XD So bonus points to whoever catches the Hamilton reference in this chapter. Peace out!**

* * *

Now Ryuk looked totally unimpressed. "Is that it? I could've told you that."

Light shot a hard glare at the shinigami. He was about to lecture Ryuk for being a smart-aleck when he remembered the shinigami's ability to see a person's name and lifespan.

He forced his rising frustration back down and smiled menacingly. "Ryuk…" he said, his voice deathly quiet, "If you knew Lawliet's real name was not what I was writing you should have told me so. If we're going to make this goal work at all, you've got to help me a bit."

"I told you, I'm not on yours or L's side. I'm just here for entertainment. I've already done enough by confirming the name isn't real." Ryuk hopped down from the ceiling and stretched his wings. "So now that you know, what are you gonna do about it?"

Light gazed at the floor, his mind whirling with this new information. All his life he'd never thought Lawliet was anything other than his blood brother. They'd grown up together; played together, shared secrets together, solved crime together. He could still remember how honored he felt that his own brother was going to become the great L, and that he would be playing a part in that tremendous mission.

 _Does_ he _know we're not related after all?_

 _Lawliet gripped his shoulders and looked him in the eye intently. "This is going to be dangerous," he said quietly. "When I step out that door tomorrow and join the War, I could very well be signing my death sentence. L has to win – no matter the costs."_

 _Light blinked. "But you said – "_

 _"I said L would win. I didn't say I would," the older boy retorted. He looked absolutely unfazed by the thought of dying. "I've gotten in contact with X and Z, two other detectives from Wammy's House. They'll be my backups and take over the L Initiate if I die. Everything's been planned out, by me."_

 _"Aren't you afraid at all? You're only fourteen!" Light couldn't imagine what it was like to be on the frontlines like that. "Doesn't death scare you?"_

 _A shadow passed over Lawliet's eyes, and he gazed down at the floor. A long time passed before he answered, "To be completely honest with you, I am afraid. A little. I've imagined my death so much it feels more like a memory now. But that's exactly why I have to arrange for backups, think of every possible situation or outcome and pre-empt them. If I have done my part to be prepared and have accomplished all I can in my life – however short it may be – then if I do die, it will be without regrets." He turned and continued typing on his laptop. "It's a life I have been chosen for since I set foot in the House. You do not need to follow me."_

 _"You're right – I don't need to." Lawliet looked up in surprise at Light, who clenched his fists determinedly. "I_ want _to do this. I want to learn to be strong like you. Haven't we solved enough cases together before?"_

 _"Those were minor cases. This is huge. If anything goes wrong…I don't want to lose you."_

 _"You won't. That's a promise. We're gonna save the world together."_

Light paused as a wave of nostalgia hit him. _Maybe,_ his heart reasoned, _Just maybe, there's a way to solve this without either of us getting killed. We can negotiate, find a way to ally and bring peace together._

This thought lightened the burden on his chest, and he glanced up at Ryuk as he crossed the room to the door. "I'm sure I don't need to ask you if you're telling the truth. I'm going to check Dad's room and see if I can find any evidence."

"Evidence?"

"Yeah, like birth certificates or adoption papers. Either way Dad has to have one of them on Lawliet. Then I'll have his true name as well." He opened the door and left on his search. 

* * *

"We want to meet L."

The words raced through Sachiko like a hurricane. For the seven years he had worked as L, Lawliet had always made sure nobody would know his true identity. It was often difficult, especially in cases that required first-hand inspection, but he always managed it.

Now the group of officers that banded together to stop Kira – the Kira Task Force – wanted to meet him in person.

She gazed evenly over all of them, lingering for a little longer on her husband and young Matsuda. Lawliet was also listening from the laptop in front of her.

"You say you trust us, L, but the truth is _we_ can't trust _you_ ," Matsuda was saying. "We're laying our lives on the line to catch Kira, but you're just hiding behind a screen. For all we know, you could be both L _and_ Kira. It's not impossible. L would have known the identities of all twelve F.B.I. agents, and they're all dead now."

Aizawa, another officer, nodded in agreement. "If you want to help us catch Kira, come to the NPA Headquarters. That's the only way we can trust you."

 _They're just anxious, L,_ she typed into the window at her laptop. _You don't have to agree to this._

For a few moments there was no reply. Then the words began forming in another window. _No, they're right. Turn the screen around._ She complied, and the six men gathered around her.

 _What happens from now on must be kept between the eight of us._ The words seemed to type themselves. _I trust all six of you; that is why I have decided I will meet with you in person. You may not mention a word of our meeting or whatever we discuss to anybody else. This, of course, includes your family, friends, and the rest of the police._

 _Take some time alone to decide whether or not you can promise me the above and trust me enough to do this. I'll set up the meeting when those who made that choice have returned to this room._

The six men glanced at each other uneasily, then began heading toward the door.

"We'll be back in twenty minutes at most," Soichiro called over his shoulder.

The door closed behind them, and Sachiko was left alone with the laptop. She sighed and typed out, _That could have been a lot worse._

 _"I suppose,"_ his voice crackled in her ear through the communicator. _"But if I am to catch Kira at all, I will need the full trust and cooperation of the Task Force. This is the only way."_

 _But what if one of them betrays us? If it's true that Kira can control people before their deaths, that wouldn't be impossible. You know it's not impossible. You're putting yourself at risk._

 _"I have to take that risk. But I feel more comfortable knowing that Dad will be in the Task Force. I can trust him. I wouldn't have suggested this plan in the first place if he wasn't there and the others weren't trusted associates of his. It's been a long time since I've seen Matsuda-kun."_

Sachiko shook her head. _Of course I trust your father. But you haven't revealed yourself to anyone else in all your ten years. I don't like you starting now – especially with this kind of murderer around._

 _"There was Naomi."_

 _You didn't tell her anything._

 _"She figured it out herself. I could tell."_

Now they were getting off-topic. Lawliet tended to do that when he was uncomfortable about discussing something. Sachiko took a deep breath and tried not to let the irritation show in her voice.

"Where will you be meeting with them?" she asked. There wasn't any point in arguing with him further.

 _"At my hotel room. Where else would I meet with them?"_

"I suppose. This way we'll have privacy and still be on our territory, so they'll be compelled to play by our rules."

 _"Exactly. Once they come back and I arrange the details with them, please come straight away back to the hotel. We'll need to make all the necessary preparations before their arrival."_

The line fell silent as the men re-entered the room. There were five of them now; one man had backed out.

"Excellent. I'm pleased to see you have made the right decision," Sachiko acknowledged with a nod, turning the laptop back to face them. All five gathered around once more as the details of the meeting began filling out on the screen.

Sachiko glanced over them herself, pleased to see the reactions of the officers. Once they'd finished reading, she closed the laptop and packed it away.

"Our room number is 154," she stated curtly. "Be there on time, and once again, don't tell anyone a thing about this meeting. I will see you there." With that she tucked the laptop bag under her arm and strode out of the building.

 _Lawliet…what are you thinking right now? Is this risk really what you want?_

* * *

Light typed at Soichiro's computer persistently, his frustration pounding at him like a rising drumbeat. He'd been searching his parents' personal files for several hours before coming up empty-handed. Now he had moved to his dad's online database, but still no luck.

 _Are you kidding me? There's no way there could be no evidence of Lawliet being born or adopted. It's got to be buried in the archives somewhere._

Why would something like this need to be kept hidden? To keep him from eventually finding out?

 _Quit thinking like that,_ his mind echoed at him. _They must have just hidden it so there would be no way L could be traced back to us, that's all. Mom's excellent at hiding tracks like this; she must have erased or hidden his entire history._

He typed in a series of codes, hacking deeper into the archives, until finally he broke through the series of firewalls. _Finally._ Light was about to open up the files when a screech from Ryuk caught his attention.

"Light! It's the door-bell!"

His heart skipped a beat. Quickly Light copied the files to a flash drive and restored everything to the way he'd found it. Soichiro wouldn't even notice the computer had been tampered with. Slipping the drive in his pocket, Light clambered down the stairs and unlocked the door.

"LIGHT!" A pretty brunette about fourteen years old jumped up and gave him a huge bear hug. "HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

The teenager blinked. _Oh, right. I forgot about Cousin Sayu coming._ Sayu and her parents lived in Hokkaido, but they had a tradition of coming over to visit the Yagamis every New Year's and summer. With everything going on lately, the visit had slipped his mind.

"Happy New Year to you too, Sayu," he returned with a warm smile, regaining his composure smoothly. "How was your trip?"

"It was great! A friend of Dad's drove me most of the way, and after that I took a train. It was pretty relaxing, actually." The girl skipped to the living room sofa while Light carried her bags inside. "What about you, Light? Is your dad gonna be home soon?"

"No. He's busy at work with the Kira case, so he won't be home until late."

"Awww!" Sayu curled her lip in a pout. "My parents couldn't come either – they're _also_ busy working! Why can't they get a day off just on New Years?"

Light shrugged. "It can't be helped. But I'm pretty sure we can have fun without them – it's New Years' Eve, after all. Do you want to go traditional, or stay home tonight? You must be tired from your trip."

"How can you even ask that? _Omisoka_ only happens once a year, and I want to show you the new kimono I got! We can go together – this will be so much fun!"

 _How does she have so much energy?_ The teenager chuckled as his eyes darted to where Ryuk stood in the corner of the room. _It might not be safe to go out with Lawliet searching for Kira…but at any rate, everybody goes to Omisoka. It will seem perfectly normal for me to go too._

"So?" Sayu gazed up at him expectantly. "You're coming with me, right? _Please_ tell me you're gonna wear a kimono!"

"I'm not sure…I still have to study for exams."

"Pleeeease? It'll be fun!"

"Only if I can skip the kimono."

"Deal!" His cousin giggled and heaved her backpack over her shoulder. "I'm just going to go take a shower, and then I'll start getting ready. This is gonna be epic!" With that she ran off, slamming the door behind her. Light smiled and shook his head as he watched her go.

"She's pretty," Ryuk commented with a yawn. "Lively, but kinda cute too."

"I suppose," the teenager replied. "I think I have time to finish my homework and arrange the next set of deaths so they all happen while I'm gone. If I hurry, I can check the files I got from Dad too." Light pulled out the flash drive from his pocket and fingered it curiously. "Come on, let's go." 

* * *

9:45 PM.

Lawliet paced the hotel room restlessly, his gaze flicking toward the clock every few minutes. The Task Force would be here any time now.

"Well, you seem awfully impatient," Sachiko commented wryly. She fussed with the curtains covering the windows as he continued his pacing. "Is it that bad?"

"I simply want to get it over with as soon as possible. The faster we can put together our leads and solve the case, the better." The detective finally stopped and hopped on a chair, to her relief. "I doubt it will be anything like our usual video conferences, so yes, I _am_ a little nervous."

Sachiko raised an eyebrow. "A _little_ …?"

"Fine. _Very_ nervous. But only because I have never done this before."

"You'll be fine, don't worry. Just be yourself."

"I fail to see how I can be anything _other_ than myself…" Lawliet said with a slightly bewildered tone. His mother simply chuckled.

"Although, you _may_ want to take a shower before you meet with the police," she suggested, gesturing toward his clothes. "And change your clothes."

He cocked his head innocently. "Why?"

Sachiko fixed him a hard stare, and after a few seconds' thought he looked down and sniffed his shirt. His nose wrinkled in disgust. "Touché. Let me know if they arrive early." With that he stood and ambled to the bathroom after grabbing a change of shirt and jeans from his suitcase. 

* * *

Light blinked hard at the screen. Once. Twice.

His eyes hadn't fooled him.

Just as he suspected, the hidden files contained a digital copy of Lawliet's adoption papers. But the space where the boy's last name should be was completely blank.

 _So he has no last name. What now…?_

" _He_ probably knows what his last name is," Ryuk suggested, for once trying to be helpful.

Emphasis on trying.

"It's not like I can just ask him. I don't even know if he remembers being adopted; he was so young he could have forgotten by this time. If I know about his adoption all of a sudden and tell him so, he's gonna suspect something's wrong. Same goes for my parents." For once he felt frustrated at being the youngest – at least if he was the older brother here he could say he remembered Lawliet moving in with them.

"Hey." The shinigami nudged his shoulder. "Make the deal with me. I can give you the Eyes."

"I told you, I want to get as far as I can without having to come to that. I still have time to find his name." Hearing his cousin calling him from downstairs, Light took a final glance in the mirror, smoothed his hair back, and headed down for his night out. 

* * *

9:59 PM.

Sachiko had already left the apartment to take care of his remaining few cases. There would be no more after this; in order to better focus on the Kira case, Lawliet had placed his services on hold temporarily.

He took a deep breath. _You can do this. Dad's going to be there, so you're safe._

 _Safe._

That was a word he'd never been able to connect with. Every day he lived at risk; every day he worked to save more lives was a day with his own life on the line. The War had taught him that.

Now with Kira, that risk was even greater.

The only place where he could feel somewhat safe was at Wammy's House – there he had Watari, Sachiko, and the boys of course, and he knew nothing could get past them – but even that was not complete safeness.

He figured it was something he'd never be able to experience, but he could live with that.

 _Still, it would be nice to be safe. One day. Maybe when this case is over._

* * *

10 PM.

The knock came right on time.

Lawliet leaned over his voice scrambler for the last time. "Come in. I've been expecting you."

He heard the door open, followed by the sound of footsteps entering the main room. They stopped, waiting for him, so he got up from his perch in the bedroom. His bare feet made no noise on the carpeted floor as he crossed the room and stepped in front of the surprised policemen.

Of _course_ they'd been expecting someone older. Not that he could blame them.

"I am L," he said with a bold tilt of his head. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

There was a few seconds' stunned silence, then Soichiro cleared his throat and held up his badge. "Right. I'm Soichiro Yagami of the NPA."

The others followed suit. Shuichi Aizawa. Kanzo Mogi. Hideki Ide. Hirokazu Ukita. Touta Matsuda. Lawliet appreciated his dad taking the lead, but this was not the start he'd been hoping for. They were placing too much trust in him, telling him their names right off the bat like that. _No way we're getting anywhere in the Kira case like that._ His eyes narrowed, and with a faint smirk of amusement he formed a finger gun and thrust his arm out with a hard "BANG!"

The police jumped. "What the hell was that?! This isn't a joke!" Aizawa yelled, irritated. Soichiro shot the detective a disapproving glare.

"If I was Kira, you'd all be dead right now, Yagami- _san_." Lawliet lowered his arm and gave the men in front of him a long glare. "I wouldn't advise you to put your trust in me so readily. Kira could be anywhere – and he only needs a face and name in order to kill if you will recall - so let us try to act with more caution from now on. I'm sure all of us here value our lives."

Mogi nudged Matsuda, who had been staring wide-eyed at the detective since they stepped in the room. "L-Lawliet- _kun_?" the young officer finally managed. " _You're_ L? But how?"

"Hang on, you know L?" Aizawa asked incredulously.

"We were friends when we were kids – we'd study crime together and everything! He's Chief's son!" Matsuda turned on Soichiro. "How come you never told us he was L, Chief?"

"One question at a time." Lawliet held his hand up. "I had hoped Matsuda would keep his mouth shut, but for what it's worth, he is right. I am Lawliet Yagami, Chief Yagami's son. If you have told me your names I suppose it is fair you should know mine – so now we are equal. Let us leave it at that for now." He gave Touta a small smile. "But it _is_ good to see you again, Matsuda- _kun_."

Matsuda grinned back.

"Alright, we should get straight to business. Come this way." The detective turned and strode to the main room. "Leave your phones and any recording devices on that table. If you wish to remember something from our meeting, commit it to memory."

"So you still don't trust us, L?" Aizawa snapped. "It's not like we're gonna use our cell phones to leak information during the meeting."

Soichiro placed his phone on the table and went on ahead after Lawliet. "Just do as he says, Aizawa."

"It's not that I don't trust you," the detective called over his shoulder, "It's simply that I find them distracting. I can't stand it when people's cell phones are ringing while I'm trying to talk. Also, for security's sake, I will have to ask you all not to call me L; _or_ Lawliet either. From now on, call me Ryuzaki."

A new alias, for a new case. Nothing unusual about that.

 _Let's get this started._


	9. Investigation

**Hey Everyone!  
I hope everyone's enjoying this story so far! I'm sorry I haven't been uploading in a while, but I was busy with studying for my fall exams, plus I have writer's block so...yeah. :( But here's another chapter to keep y'all going until I get my muse back. Once again, be sure to leave a review and tell me what you think!**

Soon everyone was seated around the large coffee table in the center of the room. Lawliet took a deep breath as he studied the men surrounding him. Each of them looked serious about this case, and determined to get it done.

Matsuda was the first to speak. "I was thinking, if Kira needs a name and face to kill criminals, shouldn't we stop the news from broadcasting criminals' personal information?"

Lawliet pursed his lips. "We'll only be putting the general public at risk if we do that. It's not worth it."

"But how do you know?"

"Simple. Kira is immature and he hates losing."

Soichiro choked on his coffee. "Come again?"

"It's not that difficult, Yagami." Somehow Lawliet didn't feel comfortable addressing him as _Dad_ in these circumstances. "I'm also immature and hate losing. That's how I know." All he was met with were blank stares. He cleared his throat. "When I publicly challenged Kira with that broadcast, Up until then, he only had a pattern of killing criminals, but as we all know, he killed my stand-in without a second thought. Also, as soon as I announced we knew he was in the Kanto region, the killings became concentrated in Japan, as if to say, "What are you gonna do about it?"

"Not only is Kira not afraid of our attempts, he's never passed up an opportunity to return the favor. So what do you think would happen if we restricted the media to withhold information like that?"

The men fell silent as his words sank in. "I guess…"Matsuda began hesitantly.

"'If you don't show me your worst criminals, I'll kill petty criminals or innocent people. I'm keeping the whole world hostage, so someone has to die. Their deaths won't be on my hands, because you're the ones who hid the criminals from me.'" Lawliet leaned back in his seat as he tightened his crouch. "That's exactly what Kira will think. So we need another way to use the media to get his attention. Listen up…" 

* * *

The door creaked as Sachiko stepped in half an hour later. The men were all leaning over the table, talking animatedly.

"This is amazing!" Matsuda yelled. "You're a genius! There may only be five of us, but with this much intel we should be able to solve the case much more quickly."

"Alright, so we'll split into two teams," Aizawa announced. "One team investigates the FBI agents. The other takes a look at the heart attack victims. We can pool our results when we're done."

"And with the media announcement, we should really have Kira on his toes!"

Lawliet ran a hand through his dark spikes absent-mindedly. He seemed more relaxed than when she'd left. "So, any questions?"

"Just one, Ryuzaki." Soichiro's eyes locked with his son's. "You said earlier that you hate to lose. Does this make showing your face to us a loss for you? Just by being here, are you admitting defeat to Kira?"

The young detective fell silent. Sachiko could almost see every muscle in his body tense up as his eyes narrowed. "That's right," he replied at last. His voice was tight and controlled. "By showing my face to you now and by sacrificing the lives of those 12 FBI agents, I have lost the battle." A determined smirk played around the corner of his mouth. "But I won't lose the war. I'll be placing my life on the line for this case. I want to remind everyone here – who are also risking their lives – that…"

At this all the tension in his body disappeared, and his face lit up with a cheerful smile that only Sachiko knew was put on. "Justice will prevail not matter what."

The rest of the room erupted into cheers. "Heh, I like the sound of that!" said Aizawa.

Matsuda pumped his fist in the air. "Let's show Kira what we're made of!"

Soichiro said nothing, simply giving his son a proud smile. If anybody before had doubted the boy was L, those doubts had been dispelled in that moment.

Sachiko chose this moment to step into the room and set a thin briefcase on the table. Matsuda's eyes widened.

"Mrs. Yagami?" He blurted out in shock. "You're part of this too?!"

She gave him a warm smile. "Yes, I have been since the beginning. It's good to see you too."

The young man glanced from Lawliet to Sachiko. "Is Light a detective too?"

"Goodness, no. He's known about our work, but he chose not to get involved, and we prefer to keep it that way."

Aizawa raised his hand. "Sarada – do we still call you Sarada?" he asked. She nodded. "How come you aren't wearing the uniform anymore?"

"Because if other officers saw me around the station and the city like that they'd recognize me instantly, and our security could be compromised. This way, I can go around the city freely." She smoothed down the dark blue dress she was wearing with a modest blush as she spoke.

"Oh, right. Sarada, show them their new equipment," Lawliet ordered.

"Of course." Sachiko typed in the passcode on the lock and opened the case. Everyone peered in at the contents curiously.

"Awesome!" Matsuda yelled excitedly. "We get special agent gear!"

"Stop joking around, you idiot!" Aizawa snapped. "Take things seriously for once!"

"I will once you cut that 'fro of yours."

"Leave my hair out of this!"

Meanwhile Soichiro was examining the police badges inside. "Aliases?" he asked.

"Yes. With Kira on the loose it is no longer safe for you to give out your names to anyone." Sachiko passed out the badges and accompanying belts as Lawliet spoke. "Nothing can be done about your faces, but the least you can do is keep your names a secret."

Gesturing to the belts he continued, "Wear these at all times. If you are in danger, press the buckle twice. This will send a signal to Sarada's phone with your name and location."

The detective gazed out the window while the officers put their belts on. Tonight 2006 was ending. A new year was beginning.

But there was no time to celebrate.

They all had work to do tonight. 

* * *

The next day Light took his time getting up. Sayu had kept him at _Omisoka_ until past three in the morning, and he still felt groggy from all the food and partying they'd joined in. He thanked the heavens he was still a minor and not allowed to drink _sake_ – the last thing he needed right now was a hangover on top of everything else.

"Light! About time!" Ryuk greeted from where he dangled upside-down less than a meter away.

The teenager rolled his eyes. "For once I'd like to wake up and _not_ have your face be the first thing I see."

"Rude."

Light stretched as he climbed out of bed and trudged to his closet. "What time is it?" he mumbled.

The shinigami cocked his head at the wall clock opposite him. "Um, it's one. One thirty-five."

"For real? I guess I was pretty tired then." Light grabbed some clothes and headed off to the bathroom to shower. While he was gone Ryuk - for lack of anything better to do - hopped down from the ceiling and opened up the secret compartment in the boy's desk drawer, making sure to do it exactly the way Light had shown him to avoid an explosion.

Soon the Death Note was in his hands, and he flipped through the filled pages. Rows and rows of names, each neatly written out in perfect columns. In the month Light had had the notebook, he'd certainly made clever use of it. Only one page was disorderly – here, written and crossed out dozens of times, was the name _Lawliet Yagami_.

"I still can't figure out what his real name is," Light said behind him. Ryuk jumped up, startled, and reluctantly handed the notebook over. The teenager took it and switched the TV on as he sat down. He had to make up for the time he'd lost last night.

Two hours later, another page of the Death Note was filled with names. Satisfied with his work, Light slipped the notebook back into its compartment and switched the TV to a pop music channel.

Leaving Ryuk there, he headed downstairs to grab a bite to eat. The housekeeper was busy in the kitchen, and she looked up with a smile as Light entered.

"Good afternoon. Long night?"

He grinned as he got some food from the fridge and started making himself a sandwich. "You could say that. I don't remember the last time I partied this hard."

"Well, you've been studying like mad for the past month – I'd say you deserve a break." She patted his shoulder as she passed by. "Could I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Your father's been at the station all night again. I was going to go there to drop off a change of clothes, but I need to do some shopping for dinner tonight. Would you mind taking a walk until there, unless you're still tired?"

 _This would be a good opportunity to check in on their development of the Kira case as well._ "No, I'm fine. Leave it to me." Light wolfed down his sandwich, made another to eat on the way there, and picked up the bag on the floor. "If Sayu comes down, tell her to stay out of my room."

The woman laughed and shook her head as she watched him go. "Of course."

In forty minutes Light was at NPA Headquarters. Soichiro wasn't there, the receptionist said, because he was still at an important meeting. The teenager dropped the clothes off anyway, ended up chatting with the receptionist about the strangeness of the Kira case, and was about to leave when he heard a voice several meters away:

"Please, I _must_ speak directly with someone from the special investigations task force. It's urgent."

Light halted in his tracks. A tall, dark-haired woman in a leather jacket was bartering almost desperately with the other receptionist.

"I'm very sorry, ma'am," the man replied, "but there's no one at headquarters at the moment. I'll be sure to give them your message as soon as I see them, I promise."

"That's not good enough. I have to tell them in person."

 _Interesting. If it's this important, I should get an idea of her information before she meets the task force._ Light walked up to the woman and tapped her on the shoulder. "Excuse me, miss," he said with a friendly smile. "My father's in charge of the investigation. I could pass on your message to him, if you like. Right now his cell phone's off, but it shouldn't be long until I can contact him again. A number of FBI agents were just killed and a lot of detectives resigned for fear of Kira. So he's very busy at the moment."

The receptionist raised his hand. "Hey, that information is not yet available to…"

"It's alright. It's practically common knowledge at this point anyway. Besides…" and at this Light smiled and let his eyes lock with the woman's dark, mysterious ones, "I feel like I can trust her. She's a wise, careful person; and she figured out the FBI had connections to our department, so she wants to speak to them in person. She thought this through the way a detective should. Am I right?"

The woman looked surprised, but she nodded with a faint blush.

 _Good. Now I have her attention._ Light turned his attention to his phone and began texting. "My father should call me back once he sees my messages. It won't take long. When he does, I'll give you the phone and let you talk to him."

"Are you sure that's alright?"

"Sure. You understand why I can't just give you my father's phone number, but I don't think letting you use my phone to talk to him should be a problem. You'll have to trust my father and I – that shouldn't be too hard, right?" He flashed an innocent smile, earning a laugh from Ryuk.

She took the bait. "Thank you so much," she said, her lips forming a timid smile in return. "I really appreciate it."

"No problem." The two strolled leisurely down the street as Light engaged her in conversation. This was a piece of cake. 

* * *

**2 days later:**

Sachiko blinked hard as she stared at the clock, hoping it would move faster. Everyone was finishing up with their research; then they'd pool their results and everyone could go home and rest. Aizawa had gotten to leave a day early to monitor the case from the station, but everyone else was still here. Nobody had slept in the two days since they'd arrived at L's apartment, apart from short catnaps here and there in between research.

It was understandable – they had access to Lawliet's intel for only the short time they were here, and they wanted to make the most of it. And she and the detective had gone for longer stretches without sleep before. That didn't make it less exhausting though.

All she could do was keep a stiff upper lip, and make the coffee extra strong.

Adding a stack of sugar packets and a small pitcher of cream to the tray of said coffee, she picked it up and made her way back to the main room, where half of the task force were still poring bug-eyed over their work and the other half were in varying stages of partial slumber.

Lawliet himself was sitting crouched in front of his laptop, his head slumped between his knees. _I guess he's tired too._ She was about to step forward to place the tray on the table when movement on the other end of the room caught her attention.

Soichiro had opened a nearby closet and was rummaging through it, then took out a fleece blanket. Stepping quietly to where Lawliet was sleeping, he gently wrapped the blanket around the boy's shoulders before sinking into the armchair next to him. Sachiko smiled faintly as she watched them.

She walked over to where the officers were still working. "Take a break and get some rest," she whispered to avoid waking up the others. "You've all earned it."

Gratefully they sank back onto the armchairs or the floor while she got a pile of blankets from the closet and passed them out. Then she retreated to her room for a short nap.

Several hours later, everyone was feeling a bit better. Matsuda, Soichiro and Mogi returned to their work with fresh eyes, and shortly afterwards Aizawa arrived back with surveillance camera footage he'd found at the police station. Raye Penber's death had been caught on camera, and Lawliet watched the footage intently. Finally it seemed like the pieces were coming together.

"It's quite odd," Lawliet commented as he replayed the footage in slow-motion, the officers intently watching. "We know that Penber got on the train, and an hour and a half later he got off and died on the platform, of a heart attack if I'm not mistaken. But the _Yamanote_ line takes only an hour to complete its circuit. Nobody rides a train for longer than a whole circuit unless they have time to waste or they're the driver. And more importantly, there's the envelope. He's holding on to it when he passes the ticket gate, but when he gets off, it's gone."

"True. I don't remember seeing an envelope on the list of items on his body," Soichiro said thoughtfully.

"And if you look closely at the footage, right there at the end…yes, that's it." Lawliet paused the video. "It seems as if he's straining to look inside the train before the doors close. Wouldn't it be something, Yagami, if Kira was on that train?"

"But that's impossible. He only kills from a distance – why would he come out in the open like that?"

"I find it difficult to believe as well. Perhaps he presumed we would make that assumption, and so he figured he could get away with a bold move like that."

"Ryuzaki?" He looked up to see Sarada come in with one hand covering her cell phone. "It's Ukita at NPA Headquarters. He says he's got an informant on the line."

"Give Ukita the number to line 5 and have the informant call there instead. It is safer that way." Lawliet finally took his eyes away from the laptop and turned to Matsuda. "Matsuda, you can turn your phone on now." The man hesitated. "I mean, turn it on _now_!"

"Oh, right!" Matsuda hurriedly turned his phone on. Barely a second later it started to ring, and the detective snatched it away before Matsuda could answer.

"Yes, this is Suzuki, information specialist for the Kira investigation. How may I help you?" The person on the other end began speaking in rapid-fire Japanese, and he felt his heart drop.

 _Naomi. No._

He thanked the informant, (who turned out to be Misora's mother) and hung up before handing the phone back to Matsuda. _I haven't seen her since Los Angeles. She must have come here with her fiancé._ He bit his lip as what he just heard spun through his head and fit itself with the other puzzle pieces. _You should have stayed and gotten married in the U.S., Naomi. Then this wouldn't have happened._

He gazed at the officers surrounding him. "It appears that Naomi Misora, Penber's fiancée, went missing the day after he died."

"It's not hard to see why," Matsuda said sadly. "Anyone who just lost their loved one that like would be devastated. Was it suicide?"

"No." Lawliet clenched his fists as he voice grew unnaturally stern. "The Naomi I know is intelligent, stubborn and a brilliant FBI agent. She's too strong-willed to succumb to something like that. If anything, she'd be trying to catch Kira on her own. If she came to Japan with Penber, she may very well have found a lead on her own." _But Kira got to her first._ He got up and approached Soichiro. "Yagami, can you trace the location of a cell phone that's been turned off?"

"Of course. But why - "

"I have to find her. The chances of her being alive are small, but I can at least return her body to her family. Aizawa, tell Ukita to call Naomi's mother back and ask for her phone number, and try to track her down from there."

"Right away, Ryuzaki."

Lawliet ran a hand through the spikes in his hair. He hadn't known Naomi for long apart from the few weeks they'd worked together, but she was the only woman whose intelligence truly matched his own. That was what had fascinated him since the beginning, and prompted him to continue keeping an eye out for her in the years that followed.

 _"Hey!"_

 _Before he could say a word, the woman spun around, her dark hair whipping in his face. She kicked in mid-air, and there was a burst of pain in his shoulder and thigh as he toppled backwards. For a few seconds he was in the air, before hitting his back painfully on the tiles at the bottom of the stairs._

 _"Oh my god… I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" Naomi ran down the stairs two at a time, a mix of surprise and alarm in those deep brown eyes._

 _He grunted as he tried to sit up. "So that's how you do it," he muttered to himself. "It's not the same like in the videos, but I think I understand now."_

 _"What?" She looked confused._

 _"I'm learning capoeira."_

 _"Ah." Naomi was next to him now. She held out her hand, and he took it as he pulled himself up. "It's not the easiest martial art to learn. I've pretty much got it engrained in me by now, and I've had a hectic few weeks so my nerves were on edge…" Her voice trailed off with an embarrassed blush._

 _"It's alright." He stood and brushed his jeans off with his other hand. "Thank you. You're very kind." He smiled timidly, already feeling the edges of his cheeks heating up. She returned the smile as they shook hands._

 _"You know, you look strangely familiar. What's your name?"_

 _He dipped his head as he let his eyes twinkle. "Please…just call me Ryuzaki."_

 _Her eyes widened as she stepped back, first shock and then understanding spreading across her features. She'd figured it out. He simply nodded in acknowledgement and they shook hands one last time. There was no need for words between them._

Lawliet closed his eyes for a moment. _Don't think about her. Not now._ He took a deep breath as he said, "As of now, I'd like to focus our investigation on only the individuals who Raye Penber was tailing. He was assigned to two police officers in particular and their families."

"It _could_ be that Kira comes from one of those families," Soichiro mused. "Who was he investigating?"

His eyes flicked to the data on his laptop, and he gulped. _Seriously? Why would he be investigating…?_ Soichiro and Sachiko weren't going to like this, but it couldn't be helped now.

The detective looked his father square in the eye. "Deputy Director Kitamura and Detective Superintendant Yagami, as well as their families."


	10. First Conflict

**Hey Everyone!  
Life's been pretty hectic lately, what with studying for my exams and all. I don't know if I'll be able to do much writing for the next month, but here's another chapter to keep you going until then. Wish me luck!  
Oh, and make sure to leave a review - it really makes my day! (Has anybody seen the Netflix Death Note movie yet? I doubt I'll be watching that cancer. -_-)**

As he expected, both his parents' eyes widened in shock. The rest of the Task Force flinched, unnerved by their surprise.

"Are…are you sure?" Sachiko asked, even as she bent over the laptop to see for herself. There was no denying it. She whirled on her husband next. "What did you do?"

He did a double take. "What do you mean, _what did I do_? Why is it always me?"

"I keep telling you to be more careful when you contact us! The FBI would definitely find it suspicious that me and Ryuzaki are off the grid if they discovered any of our previous history. For all we know they could think _he_ is Kira!"

"Actually," Lawliet interrupted from where he continued scanning the data, the sinking feeling in his chest growing larger as the calculations spun faster through his mind, "As far as the FBI are concerned you and Light are the only members of the Yagami family. I made sure of that years ago. I'm afraid you're not going to like this, but…"

"What?" Matsuda asked, only to receive a glare from Sachiko. " _What?_ I was just asking!"

 _No, there's no way either of them could be Kira…it just doesn't make sense. I know my family; they're not capable of something like that. Or are they?_ A shadow grew over the detective's eyes as he realized that if he thought about it, he really didn't know them as well as he'd have liked. Not like how he knew his mother. _The percentage is too low for it to mean anything, but…it's not zero percent either._ He cleared his throat and glanced up at his parents nervously.

"Penber was investigating these two families, and a few days later he was killed; presumably by Kira. There is a chance that Kira may come from one of these two families, and acted in retaliation to being investigated." _That's right; focus on the case. Then we'll get this mess taken care of._ He turned his attention to the Task Force. "So we will investigate them ourselves. Yagami, please install hidden cameras and bugs in both households, without their knowledge."

"Hey, hang on!" Aizawa piped up. "You can't do that! It's unethical! We could get sacked or ever arrested for that!"

"Never mind that!" Sachiko snapped. "Ryuzaki, I understand the need to investigate the Kitamura family. But there's no way our family could be in any way responsible for these murders. How high are the percentages we're discussing here anyway?"

"Less than three percent."

"There, see? So why conduct this investigation in the first place? It's a waste of our resources and time." His mother shot him a glare that told him to let the idea drop.

He took a deep breath. "Nevertheless, it's still a percentage. It's not impossible. That's why I want to do this anyway, so I can bring that percentage down to zero by proving that no one in our family is Kira. It won't take long, I promise."

Sachiko whirled on her heels and headed to her bedroom. "Son, a word?" she called in an artificially pleasant tone.

 _That's not a good sign._ Lawliet hopped off his chair and followed her into the adjoining room. She shut the door behind them and waited until he'd reached the center of the room before striding up to meet him.

"Lawliet, _what are you doing_?" she hissed through gritted teeth. "How can you even _suggest_ that your father and Light are capable of such a thing?"

"I never said they were." Lawliet hated arguing with his mother like this. Normally they at least partially agreed on decisions regarding cases, but when she did disagree on something, she wouldn't stop until he sided with her. "I don't think that either of them are Kira, you know that. But we can't deny the possibility that one of these two families may be responsible. It may be the Kitamuras or this simply may be a false lead, but I really think we should look into this."

"You _also_ said three years ago that you didn't think Beyond Birthday was responsible for the Los Angeles murders, and look how that turned out. How do I know you're not just going to lock up Light the way you did Beyond?"

"Because that was a completely different situation! Beyond was in every way responsible for those murders, but Light and Dad are not! But I have to prove it. I can't sleep knowing that there's still a fractional chance we missed a lead. As soon as I know for certain the percentage is at zero, we'll drop them out of this." He locked eyes with her beseechingly. " _Trust_ me."

Sachiko held her gaze steadily with his. Then she gripped his shoulder. "I trust you. But I also trust my husband. So I'm asking you to drop them from the investigation."

"But…"

"Do it, Lawliet." Her eyes hardened into steel.

He shuffled his feet in the plush carpet, unsure what to do. All these years they'd always worked together; there was never a need for him to go behind her back.

But now…

He closed his eyes, and in that brief second let his emotions sink back into the recesses of his mind. Now he was calm; now he could lie. "I understand," he said with a slight shrug. "I shall try to trust them a little more."

"Do I have a promise, son?" she asked, a hint of doubt crossing her features.

He didn't shy away. "I promise."

She smiled faintly, and gave him a quick hug. "Thank you. I'll tell the others to proceed with the investigation on the Kitamura family." With that she walked away, leaving him alone. 

* * *

It didn't take long for everything to get arranged after that. In a few hours the Task Force had headed to their homes for a much-needed rest, and Sachiko left for some relaxation with Soichiro. Once she was gone Lawliet waited for another hour, testing the cameras they'd install tomorrow, until he was sure the coast was clear.

The thought of going behind his mother's back for such a sensitive matter made his heart pound, but he _had_ to do this. His fingers flew over the keys on his laptop, filling in codes that carried him into a high security network.

A new screen with the letter 'W' came up. "Watari, this is L. I apologize for disturbing you."

 _"Not at all. What is it?"_

It was now or never. He could still back out.

He took the plunge. "Do we have any agents or Letters in Tokyo right now?"

There was a few minute's silence as Watari checked his records. _"We have four agents there now, but no Letters. Will that be enough or do you require Letter support?"_

"No, the agents will suffice. Listen, Watari…I have a lead I must investigate, however it is of an extremely delicate nature so I cannot do it myself."

 _"…I see. It is a personal matter then?"_

"Yes," Lawliet replied with a sigh.

 _"In that case you are wise to have someone else handle it for you. I'll send your orders to the agents straight away. What do you need them to do?"_

"I need them to infiltrate the Yagami house…equip it with cameras, and monitor it for the next two weeks. Have them also send a live feed directly to me."

 _"It will be done."_

* * *

 **Two weeks later:**

Every day the reports of criminal deaths continued. Sachiko shook her head in frustration as she watched the feed from the hidden cameras in the Kitamura home. Kira was still active, that much was obvious. But what was strange about it was that after they'd bugged the house, for a few days the criminal deaths had reduced to only a few with minor crimes, then returned to normal.

As if Kira had been caught off guard and had taken a few days to re-orient himself.

 _It_ is _coincidental that this happened right as we began the investigation, even though nobody in the Kitamura family showed any strange activity._ Sachiko ran a hand through her hair and got up to check on Lawliet, where he was watching the footage with a bored expression on his face.

"This is a waste of time," he said as she approached him. "It's obvious Kira isn't one of these people."

Sachiko planted her hands on her hips. She wasn't in the mood to hear him complain right now. "Well, you were the one who wanted to narrow the investigation down to them in the first place, so don't blame me."

"I can assure you I'm not blaming you for anything," Lawliet replied with a sharp edge of irritation in his voice. "However, I don't see any reason to continue watching them any longer. You may let the Task Force know they can remove the cameras the next time the whole family's out."

"Alright." Sachiko turned and headed to the main room of their hotel apartment, where the rest of their team was working. Normally Lawliet wasn't this terse with her; for a moment she wondered if she had really offended him that much by shutting off his investigation of their family that time. But she shoved that thought out of her head almost as soon as it entered. _There's no way in hell that anybody in our family is Kira. He'd have to be a fool not to see that. If he got offended because I pointed out the obvious, that's his own fault._

* * *

Lawliet's eyes narrowed as he pondered over what he would tell the Task Force. _They don't know I've been investigating Dad and Light on my own. But I'll have to tell them at some point._ He quickly typed a series of codes into his laptop, which opened up the live footage from their house as well as his notes on the investigation.

 _Dad has been here at our headquarters almost the whole time. Either Mom or myself have always been around him, so there is no logical way he could be Kira, unless he kills in the bathroom or something like that. But no, that's not like him at all. I do not know him as well as Mom does, but I do know that while he believes in justice, he doesn't believe in operating outside the law the way Kira does. And he isn't against giving mercy to those who deserve it._

 _Light's routine is always the same every day. He goes to school, comes back mid-afternoon and goes out again for a couple of hours, probably to relax from all that study. When he comes back, he reads or does light study until supper, then after that continues studying until about 11 PM. He has no night-life, but that is typical of a student like him._

He got up from the couch and stretched, feeling the bones in his back crack uncomfortably. _I should get some more capoiera practice in sometime. I'm out of shape._ Ambling over to the sweet-covered table that had been his only food source for the past few days, he put the tea kettle to heat up and set about making himself a cup of tea. He let his hands do the mundane task on auto-pilot while his mind slipped back to the case.

 _Although, it seems like he was acting a little strangely during these past weeks._ There were small clues, so insignificant any other detective would have missed them, but they'd been enough to catch his attention. The way he carried himself as if he knew he was being watched; the way his eyes occasionally flickered to where he shouldn't have known the cameras were.

And there was the way he'd secured his room, with little clues so he'd know if someone had entered. That he could understand if Light had family members he wanted out of his room, but the only other people who frequented that house were their dad and the housekeeper, neither of which bothered to go in his room when he was gone. _So why would he secure his room like that? Unless he had something to hide…?_

He finished making his tea and was about to sit back down when it clicked. The teacup hit the floor with a dull crash.

"Ryuzaki?" Soichiro opened the door. "Is everything alright in here?"

Lawliet opened his mouth to try and explain, but nothing came out. His mind was still whirling so fast he felt dazed. _It can't be…there's got to be another way to explain it…_

"Lawliet? Son?" He felt his father's hands gripping his shoulders and guiding him to the couch. "Are you alright? You look like you just saw a ghost."

He blinked hard, forcing his mind to settle down, and he could see again. Soichiro sat opposite him, his eyes filled with concern. "Lawliet?" he repeated.

The young detective sank back against the soft back of the couch and ran both hands through his thick bangs. "Is…is Mom here?" he rasped.

"She's still talking to Aizawa. Shall I call her?" Soichiro started to get up, but the boy grabbed his hand.

"No, no…it's fine, I want you to stay." The older man obliged, still eyeing him anxiously. "Listen…everything that I say in this room, stays in this room for now, understood?"

For once Soichiro didn't look uncomfortable at Lawliet ordering him. "Of course, son."

He felt like he should test the waters first, given the reaction he'd gotten with Sachiko. "Even if it involves Light?" he asked in a small voice, unsure what reaction he'd receive from his dad.

The man nodded. "Even if it involves Light."

"Really?"

"Of course. I care about Light as much as you do, and if there's something going on pertaining to him I want to know about it." He smiled encouragingly. "You can talk to me."

Relief flooded through his system, soothing his frenzied nerves, and Lawliet allowed himself a faint smile. "Thank you."

Lawliet would have liked to sit a while longer in silence, just the two of them, but Sachiko would come in any minute. He had to move fast.

"I…I just…I don't know how to say this, but…" He felt his throat tightening, and desperately he glanced up at Soichiro. If this was Sachiko, she would have read his eyes and known right away what was wrong, saved him from having to say it. But she wasn't here.

He forced it out like a poison. "I think Light could be Kira."

Soichiro paled. Lawliet shrank back, half-expecting to see anger in his features, but there was none. "What…what makes you think that?" he asked.

"Remember our earlier criteria of Kira? A student in the Kanto region, someone investigated by Penber. He fits all of them. And well…I also secretly placed cameras in your house while you were investigating the Kitamuras. He knew he was being watched, Dad. He _knew_. And he managed to get around it."

"But the murders continued even during the investigation period. Kira could still be anyone."

"I know, I _know_! But I have evidence that Kira can control the times and dates of death for his victims. He could have ordered the killings while he was out of the house – which he did every day for several hours at a time, and then - "

"Son, calm down." His father grasped his shoulders earnestly. "We won't get anywhere if you start panicking." He smiled faintly, though the smile didn't quite meet his eyes. "Now breathe. Slowly."

That was his father. Cool-headed and rational. Lawliet let his eyes divert to the blue sky outside and inhaled and exhaled slowly.

Now he could think properly.

"Do you want to go outside, get some fresh air?" Soichiro suggested. "We can talk more then, especially if you don't want your mother to hear. Did you tell her anything at all about this?"

Lawliet carefully got up, making sure not to crack his back again. "I tried, at the beginning of the investigation, but she refused to listen. I guess I thought I'd have better luck with you."

Soichiro nodded. "I know a park about 5 minutes' walk from here. I sometimes go there when I need to clear my head. Or we could go to a café if you prefer."

He couldn't remember the last time he'd had time for a quality outing with his dad. He was vaguely aware in the back of his mind that it was a normal, common thing for fathers and sons to do, but with all the cases he had he hadn't had time.

The detective shoved his sneakers on and headed for the door. "The park sounds good." 

* * *

Less than ten minutes later he was out of Sachiko's watchful gaze with his father. The short walk in the cold January air did wonders to clear his troubled mind, and he was able to relax as the two strolled through the park.

It was mostly empty at this hour, except for a few families milling about, and the grass and benches were covered in a thin layer of snow. Trees were arranged artistically through the park in rows and circles, each loaded with the same white adornment.

A small smile graced Lawliet's features as he pulled his coat tighter around him. "It _is_ pretty nice," he said as he circled one of the larger trees, wondering if he could risk climbing it.

Soichiro nodded with a chuckle. "It's aesthetically pleasing; I guess that's why I always found it relaxing. You should see it in the spring. Many of these trees are sakura, and they're loaded with blossoms then."

"Really?" the detective asked. Screw it, he was going to do it. He hooked his arms around a low branch and searched for a foothold.

"Mm-hm. There are wisteria trees too, so the ground is always covered in pink and blue petals, and there's an amazing scent of flowers. Your mother would love it, but she hasn't been here in the sakura season for a long time."

"Perhaps that's the one good thing about this case. If it prolongs, maybe we will still be here by then, and you can bring her." Lawliet found his foothold and pulled himself up so he could sit on the branch. "I want to come too."

"I'm glad you like it that much." Soichiro cleared the snow off a bench next to the tree and sat down.

Lawliet threw his head back and breathed in deeply, letting the icy air rush into his lungs. It was good to have peace; it was something so fragile, so easily shattered, that the times he felt it were truly rare. Now was one of those times, and he savored it with every part of his being.

For almost half an hour he simply meditated silently up in the tree, letting his mind slip into the forms of a Zen meditation routine he'd learned a few years back. He sometimes still used it when he needed to clear his mind of all the clutter it'd gathered up.

In time though, he reluctantly pulled himself from the stillness and gazed down at his father, who'd sat patiently waiting for him to speak up.

"This is just a theory, so I don't have concrete proof for it yet," he began, "but all the same I think it deserves some attention. You don't have to believe me."

Soichiro glanced up at him. "I've been thinking about what you said earlier. As much as I hate to admit it…this may be the only solid lead we have so far."

Lawliet nodded soberly. "I know."

"But all the same, it could still be a dead end. There are any number of Kanto students who could be Kira."

"But only a few who come from those two families. That narrows things down, if Kira really was one of the people investigated by the FBI."

"But you don't have proof that Light is Kira."

The detective twisted a thin twig in his fingers thoughtfully. "But I don't have proof that he isn't Kira, either. All I need is more time – and permission to investigate Light. I can move back to our house and spend more time with him, study his routine. As soon as I have solid evidence that Light isn't Kira we can drop him from the case."

His father nodded. "That seems reasonable. I'll rest easier knowing there's no way he can be Kira as well. Feel free to move back whenever you like."

Lawliet wrinkled his brow nervously. "You're…not going to try to convince me that there's no chance Light could be Kira, like Mom did?"

"Don't get me wrong – I believe your brother has no affiliation with Kira, and I hope we can confirm that as soon as possible. But rather that close up to the idea entirely, I think we should investigate and get proof of the matter. Light is a smart boy – perhaps he knows someone affiliated with Kira, or can help us find him." Soichiro stood and dusted his coat off. "I'll talk to your mother – she'll understand."

Despite the weight of the topic discussed, Lawliet couldn't help but give him a grateful smile. "You argue a good case. You should have been L."

The chief grinned. "I'm satisfied with the position I've got, thank you very much," he replied with a chuckle. "I'd get a nervous breakdown in a week."

"Don't underestimate yourself." Lawliet squirmed as he tried to reach the ground, and Soichiro held out a hand to help him down. He took it. "You're a marvelous detective. It's only thanks to you that I've made it this far."

Soichiro wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders, and Lawliet returned the gesture as they walked down the park path. Snowflakes danced down through the clouds and surrounded them, and both men felt warm inside.

"Dad?"

"Yes?

Lawliet let his eyes meet Soichiro's. "Thank you…for listening. It helped."

"Anytime, son." His father smiled, and as they continued walking, Lawliet knew what he had to do next.


End file.
